Stockport take on Bolton in their opening game of the 2025-26 League One season this weekend. The match will take place at 12pm on Sunday 3rd August, and can be seen live on Sky Sports Football. Find our match preview and prediction below.
Stockport to Win (1/1 with Paddy Power)
Stockport and Bolton are projected to enjoy strong seasons, with the pair both priced shorter than 4/1 to earn promotion to the Championship. It’s Stockport who we envisage coming out on top on Sunday, and a significant reason for that is their excellent home record.
Only record-breaking Birmingham City scored more goals than Stockport last season, who enjoyed an emphatic 5-0 victory in this fixture against Bolton. Dave Challinor’s men also got the better of the Trotters when they made the trip around the M60 in the reverse fixture and are the favourites to do so again here. Stockport finished last season by winning five of their last six at home, while Bolton could only manage a win in one of their last six away matches.
Malik Mothersille First Goalscorer (6/1 with Sky Bet)
Stockport have been active in the transfer window, making headlines by smashing their 27-year-old transfer record to secure the signing of Jamaican striker Malik Mothersille. The 21-year-old managed 12 goals for Peterborough in League One last season, with an average of 1.8 shots per 90 minutes. I expect those figures to increase under Challinor’s tutorship and he looks a solid proposition to open the scoring at 6/1 on Sunday.
How both teams go into Stockport vs Bolton
Stockport’s promotion hopes were dashed last season after a dramatic penalty shootout loss to Leyton Orient in the play-off semi-finals. Despite that disappointment, Dave Challinor has overseen a golden era at the club, guiding them to top-four finishes in each of the past four campaigns.
Their rapid climb from non-league to League One has reignited ambitions of a return to the Championship, a level they haven’t reached since 2002.
Challinor, who recently signed a new three-year deal, ended last season with an impressive 11-match unbeaten streak at Edgeley Park. With momentum on their side, his side will be aiming to hit the ground running this Sunday.
After falling short in the 2024 play-off final against Oxford United, Bolton Wanderers made a managerial change midway through the season, replacing Ian Evatt with former Plymouth boss Steven Schumacher in January.
Schumacher couldn’t quite revive their promotion push, with the club ultimately finishing eighth. A result that’s cranked up expectations for improvement this time around.
Stuck in League One for another season, the Trotters are eager to move on from a poor finish to the last campaign, when they managed just two points from their final six games. However, five consecutive wins in pre-season have injected some optimism heading into the new term.
Stockport team news
Corey O’Keeffe and Tayo Edun featured for the first time in County colours during a recent friendly loss to Hull City, with Edun expected to recover from a minor injury in time for Sunday’s matchday squad.
Bolton team news
Bolton, on the other hand, are set to kick off the new campaign with a revamped squad and a shift to a 4-2-3-1 setup. They’ve added pace on the flanks through Barbados international Thierry Gale and Brighton loanee Amario Cozier-Duberry. At the same time, striker Mason Burstow, who was brought in from Hull, is likely to lead the line in place of the injured Dalby, who is sidelined with a hamstring issue.
Stockport vs Bolton head-to-head
As mentioned earlier, Stockport enjoyed victories in both league matches against Bolton last season. The Hatters have won three of the last four meetings and have only tasted defeat in one of the last five.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 15/03/25 | Bolton 0-1 Stockport | League One |
| 09/11/24 | Stockport 5-0 Bolton | League One |
| 14/11/23 | Stockport 0-2 Bolton | Football League Trophy |
| 17/11/21 | Stockport 5-3 | FA Cup |
| 07/11/21 | Bolton 2-2 Stockport | FA Cup |