Bolton meet Plymouth at Wembley in the Papa Johns Trophy final on Sunday. George Gamble looks through the betting.
Bolton booked their place in the final with relative ease as the secured a 2-0 win over Accrington. They would beat Port Vale 2-1 in their next game but have failed to win any of their four matches since then, alongside goalless returns in two.
It’s not ideal form coming into a final, especially when you consider they have a woeful record against Plymouth.
Wanderers have failed to even hit the back of the net in any of their last five meetings with the Pilgrims across all competitions and given the contrasting forms of these two outfits coming into this clash, the price on Plymouth winning this one in normal time looks tempting.
Kick-off time: 15:00 BST, Sunday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
Plymouth are sitting pretty at the top of Sky Bet League One and will be confident they can see it through and be promoted to the Sky Championship as champions.
But they can’t afford to be anything less than 100% focused here. Their route to the final wasn't straightforward as they had to beat Cheltenham on penalties in order to progress and if the Robins were able to cause problems, the Bolton camp will have every right to believe they can do the same.
Steven Schumacher’s side have been relentless, particularly in an attacking sense and in League One alone, they have managed to hit the back of the net in 32 of their 38 matches so far.
They have emerged victorious in four of their last five games, only losing to in-form Barnsley and have scored in eight of their last ten games overall.
Cup finals are often difficult to predict as a goal can change the course of action. But more often than not, the first-half is often spent trying not to concede any ground while sussing out how they can hurt their opponents.
However, Plymouth have the psychological edge in this tie after consistently getting the better of Bolton in recent meetings and the price on them winning this competition is tough to ignore.
As such, the standout pick for this encounter on Sunday is for PLYMOUTH TO LIFT THE TROPHY at 19/20.
Papa Johns Trophy final best bets and score prediction
- 2pts Plymouth to lift the trophy at 19/20 (Betway)
Score prediction: Bolton 0-2 Plymouth (Sky Bet odds: 12/1)
Odds correct at 1800 GMT (28/03/23)
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