Bolton Wanderers host Middlesbrough in the EFL Championship on Friday, 23 October 2026, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 BST at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. Moved forward from Saturday afternoon for live television broadcast, the Matchday 12 meeting will take place in front of more than 25,000 supporters in Horwich.
Middlesbrough sit third in the Championship table on 22 points from 11 matches, trailing leaders Swansea City by a single point while carrying a nine-match unbeaten league run. Bolton occupy 15th place on 14 points, six points clear of the relegation zone, having collected 10 points from their last five outings through three wins, one draw, and one defeat.
Bolton Wanderers Team News
Bolton head coach Steven Schumacher has only two confirmed absentees for Friday night. Winger Jayden Nelson is ruled out for around six weeks after suffering a groin tear during a midweek Under-21 fixture. Centre-back Chris Forino-Joseph returned to full training this week following a five-match absence with a groin injury, but Schumacher confirmed he will not be included in the matchday squad. After six to seven weeks without competitive football, the club plans to rebuild his match sharpness in development fixtures next week.
Defenders Luca Stephenson and Lewis Brunt are both fully fit after completing the full 90 minutes in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Southampton without issue. Captain Eoin Toal and Brunt will continue their central defensive partnership ahead of goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who kept a clean sheet against his former club last weekend, with Stephenson at right-back and Akin Famewo at left-back.
In midfield, Josh Sheehan and Xavier Simons are set to continue as the holding pair, leaving the central attacking role as Schumacher’s main selection decision. Atsuki Ito started in the number ten role at Southampton and remains fit after coming off at half-time for tactical reasons, but his replacement Rúben Rodrigues improved Bolton’s ball retention and forward passing.
With Middlesbrough averaging 66 percent possession in the league, Rodrigues is favoured to start behind four-goal top scorer Sam Dalby. Gaizka Larrazabal is expected to start on the right wing to give Stephenson extra defensive cover, with Thierry Gale operating on the left.
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Middlesbrough Team News
Middlesbrough head coach Kim Hellberg travels to Horwich without four injured senior players. Striker David Strelec remains unavailable after picking up a muscular strain on international duty with Slovakia, though he is scheduled to return to full team training on Monday, 26 October. Midfielder Rokas Pukštas sustained a hamstring injury while training in the United States during the international break and is ruled out for the rest of October.
In defence, Alfie Jones remains several weeks away from fitness after suffering a calf strain against Norwich City, while Darragh Lenihan continues his long-term rehabilitation from lower-body surgery. Tottenham Hotspur loanee Ashley Phillips and Adilson Malanda will keep their places at centre-back ahead of goalkeeper Radek Vítek, offering the pace needed to cover behind attacking full-backs Callum Brittain and Neto Borges. Experienced defender Luke Ayling is fit and moves to the bench so Brittain can drop back into his natural right-back role.
Hellberg dismissed talk of squad rotation at his Thursday media briefing, explaining that a six-day turnaround before Bolton and eight days before the next fixture allows Middlesbrough to field their strongest starting eleven.
Championship top scorer Will Lankshear, who has nine league goals and 11 across all competitions, returns to lead the line in place of Kyle Joseph after coming off the bench to equalise in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Cardiff City.
Sebastian Berhalter has shaken off earlier fatigue to partner Aidan Morris in central midfield. Behind Lankshear, Riley McGree starts centrally alongside left winger Tommy Conway and right winger Amario Cozier-Duberry, who returns to the Toughsheet Community Stadium after scoring nine goals in 37 appearances on loan at Bolton last season.
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Predicted Lineups
Bolton Wanderers predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Bazunu, Stephenson, Toal, Brunt, Famewo, Sheehan, Simons, Larrazabal, Rodrigues, Gale, Dalby
Middlesbrough predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Vítek, Brittain, Phillips, Malanda, Borges, Morris, Berhalter, Cozier-Duberry, McGree, Conway, Lankshear
Confirmed team sheets will be released one hour before kick-off at 19:00 BST.
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