Bolton Wanderers have confirmed their starting lineup for today's Championship match away to Southampton, with manager Steven Schumacher making three changes. Luca Stephenson, Sam Dalby and Xavier Simons all come into the side that secured a 3-1 win at Wolves on Tuesday night.
Stephenson makes his first competitive start since the opening day of the season against Preston after completing his recovery from injury. Top scorer Dalby, who has four goals in ten appearances this term, returns to lead the attack, while Simons replaces Ethan Erhahon in midfield. Erhahon drops to the bench, alongside Thelonious Bair, who was rewarded with his first Bolton start in midweek.
Schumacher's side, currently 14th in the table with 13 points from ten games, face an eighth-placed Southampton team that has also shuffled its pack. The hosts have made six alterations, with midfielder Cameron Bragg returning from suspension and Leo Scienza restored to the starting XI. Flynn Downes misses out through injury and midweek scorer Kuryu Matsuki is among the substitutes.
Bolton will be looking to build on their recent form, which has seen them win three of their last five matches. That sequence, which reads three wins and two losses, was preceded by a 4-0 defeat at Millwall. The team has scored 15 goals this season but conceded 18, leaving them with a goal difference of minus three. They now sit ten points behind the league leaders, Swansea. Their next fixture is scheduled for Thursday evening.
The full Bolton Wanderers starting XI is: Bazunu; Stephenson, Toal, Brunt, Famewo; Sheehan, Simons; Larrazabal, Ito, Gale; Dalby. The substitutes are: Bonham, Davies, Conway, Erhahon, Illing-Junior, Bair, Rodrigues, Hardie.
The original report is at bwfc.co.uk
