Wanderers are back in Papa John’s Trophy action as they make the trip to Prenton Park to take on League Two side Tranmere Rovers.

The Whites recorded a convincing 4-1 win against Crewe Alexandra in their opener thanks to goals from Amadou Bakayoko, Kieran Sadlier and a Dion Charles brace.

Ian Evatt’s men have won their last four matches in all competition following Saturday’s hard-fought 1-0 victory against Peterborough United.

Team news

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson returned from a hamstring injury against Peterborough, replacing Elias Kachunga 20 minutes from time.

However, Declan John is ruled out due to a hamstring strain after the Welshman was absent from the squad at the weekend.

Josh Sheehan and Eoin Toal are again set to be involved after featuring against Crewe. Lloyd Isgrove is also expected to play a part after making progress with a foot problem.

As for the hosts, midfielder Kieron Morris recently returned to action after recovering from a knee injury.

Opposition lowdown

Tranmere enter the game in high spirits following a 1-0 win against high-flying Salford City thanks to Josh Hawkes’ first-half strike.

Micky Mellon’s side are currently 14th in the League Two table, having picked up 10 points from their opening nine matches since the start of the new campaign.

The Merseyside club were due to kick off their Papa John’s Trophy campaign against Leeds United Under-21s last month but the fixture was postponed until November 1 due to youth international call-ups.

Head-to-head

Wanderers have faced Tranmere 36 times in their history, with a record of 14 wins, 11 draws and 11 defeats.

The Whites suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat on their last trip to Tranmere in January 2021 despite Antoni Sarcevic’s goal. Evatt’s men finished the game with 10 men after Ryan Delaney was given his marching orders.

Their last win against the Prenton Park outfit came in February 2020, with Dennis Politic and Chris Grady getting on the scoresheet either side of half-time.

Predicted line-up

The Bolton News:

Social, subscriptions and getting in touch...

You can follow the Bolton News on social media by joining us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Gain unlimited access to the Bolton News website with a premium digital subscription

Finally, have you got a story for us? If so, contact us at newsdesk@theboltonnews.co.uk or by using our online contribution form