Bolton made it back-to-back League One victories for the first time since early October last weekend when they ran out 1-0 winners at Shrewsbury courtesy of a late effort from Dion Charles.
The success moved the Trotters into 15th position in the table, boasting 32 points from their 26 league games this season, which has left them five points clear of the relegation zone.
Ian Evatt’s side are 14 points off the playoffs, so it is unlikely that they will be able to challenge for a possible promotion in the second half of the campaign, but a mid-table finish certainly seems achievable.
Bolton against Sunderland is, without question, one of the standout matches at this level of football considering their respective histories, and Sunderland ran out 1-0 winners in the reverse match back in September, with Bolton’s last success in this fixture coming in the Championship back in February 2018.
While Bolton are looking over their shoulders in League One, Sunderland are desperately trying to secure a return to the Championship, with the Black Cats currently second in the table, level on points with Wigan Athletic, but the current leaders have four games in hand on the side directly below them.
Sunderland are actually only two points clear of fourth-placed Wycombe Wanderers, so they are not secure in the automatic promotion positions, but they are 10 points ahead of seventh-placed Plymouth Argyle.
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The visitors will enter this match off the back of a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth last weekend, with Elliot Embleton scoring the only goal of the contest in the latter stages of the first period.
Lee Johnson’s side have the best home record in League One this season, boasting 34 points from their 14 matches at the Stadium of Light, but they have dropped points in nine of their 14 away league fixtures.
The Black Cats will be concerned by the fact that leaders Wigan and third-placed Rotherham have matches in hand at this stage of the season, so it is vital that they put another three points on the board this weekend
