Bradford City face Bolton Wanderers at Valley Parade (20:00 BST) in the second leg of their League One play-off semi-final. Bolton lead 1-0 on aggregate after the first leg.
The winner of the tie will meet Stockport County at Wembley on Sunday, 24 May. Stockport County beat Stevenage 3-0 over two ties.
Bantams’ Struggle Against Bolton
Bradford City have failed to win any of their last 11 league matches against Bolton Wanderers, including play-offs. Their record includes seven draws and four losses. They lost the first leg of this tie 1-0. This run is already their longest without victory against Bolton in their history.
Bolton Wanderers are unbeaten on each of their last five league visits to Bradford City. They have drawn each of their last four.
Bradford City have still managed to progress to the play-off final on two of the three previous occasions that they lost the first leg of a semi-final tie. They lost 0-2 to Blackpool in 1996 but won the tie 3-2 on aggregate. They also lost 2-3 to Burton Albion in 2013 before coming back to win the tie 5-4.
Bolton’s Away Form
Bolton Wanderers lost two of their final four away matches of the regular League One season. They also managed one win and one draw. These defeats equal the number they suffered on the road across their previous 13 outings. They did avoid defeat in their final away match of the season, drawing 1-1 with Bradford City.
Bradford’s Home Form and Attacking Woes
Bradford City failed to win any of their last three home matches of the regular League One season. They managed two draws and one loss, conceding exactly once in all three matches. Before this, they won 10 of their previous 12 at Valley Parade, drawing one and losing one, keeping eight clean sheets in the process.
Bradford City managed just three shots in the first leg of this play-off tie. They only managed fewer in the league this season against Lincoln City in January (2). It was the first time this season that they failed to register a shot on target.
Bolton’s Play-Off History and Cozier-Duberry’s Impact
Bolton Wanderers have never previously won both legs of a play-off semi-final tie. They won just one of their nine away legs, drawing two and losing six. That was in their most recent at Barnsley in 2024 however (3-1).
Amario Cozier-Duberry, who netted the winner in the first leg of this play-off tie, has been involved in five goals across his last five matches for Bolton Wanderers. He has three goals and two assists. Before this run, he failed to score or provide an assist in eight consecutive games across all competitions.
Bolton are unbeaten in four league and cup meetings this season against the Bantams.