League One predictions, betting odds and tips: Bolton could triumph in title tussle

Already advised

Barnsley to win League One
2pts 9-1 bet365, Hills

Bolton to be promoted
2pts 11-4 Betfair, Paddy Power

Port Vale to be relegated
1pt 10-3 Coral

Cheltenham to be relegated
1pt 7-4 general

J Collins top League One goalscorer
1pt each-way 20-1 general

J Marriott top League One goalscorer
1pt each-way 33-1 general

New recommendations

Bolton to win League One
2pts 11-4 bet365

Stevenage finish in top six
2pts 10-11 Hills

Exeter to be relegated
3pts Evs Betfair, Power

Colby Bishop top scorer
1pt each-way 9-1 bet365

League One predictions

Trotters could triumph in fascinating title tussle

Bolton rose to second in the League One standings after piling up 12 points over the jam-packed Christmas and New Year period and they may be tough to stop in the title race.

Ten points cover the top seven teams in the third tier and each of the leading four clubs - Portsmouth, Bolton, Peterborough and Derby - are credible contenders for first place.

Leaders Portsmouth have set the pace for the majority of the season but they have had a shaky spell, securing just one victory in their last four matches.

John Mousinho's men have conceded just 20 goals, the best defensive record in the division, but are expected to be without key centre-back Regan Poole until the end of the season.

Pompey are the lowest scorers among the top six and their over-reliance on centre-forward Colby Bishop, who has hit 13 goals in 22 games, leaves them vulnerable.

Third-placed Peterborough are the division's top scorers with 50 goals and they struck a major blow on New Year's Day with a superb 3-2 victory at Derby.

However, the Posh have seen on-loan left-back Peter Kioso return to parent club Rotherham and are braced for more departures with centre-back Ronnie Edwards and attacker Ephron Mason-Clark attracting interest.

Fourth-placed Derby are more likely to hold on to their better players and will be intent on strengthening in January.

However, they are seven points off the summit and may have given themselves too much to do in an ultra-competitive race.

Bolton are only two points behind Portsmouth having played one game fewer and they have the tools to sustain their challenge over 46 games.

Trotters manager Ian Evatt has been building his squad over several transfer windows and a few more smart additions may help his side go up as champions.

Battling Boro on target to extend their season

The scramble for a top-six finish might be a little less competitive than usual because it is hard to envisage a serious challenge from anyone below eighth-placed Blackpool.

Ninth-placed and newly-promoted Northampton are more interested in reaching the 50 point mark and ensuring third-tier consolidation while tenth-placed Bristol Rovers have probably left themselves too much to do having fallen nine points adrift of the top six.

That leaves Oxford, Barnsley, Stevenage and Blackpool battling it out for two spots, since it seems unlikely that any of the top four will drop below the playoffs.

Stevenage are the smallest club of the four but they are playing at a consistently high level and look solid 10-11 shots to end up in the top six.

Steve Evans's side have the fourth-best defensive record in the division with 25 goals conceded and are extremely hard to play against at the Lamex Stadium, where they have lost just one home league game all season.

The Hertfordshire side have taken points off  three of the top four teams and they have every chance of extending their season.

Grecians set for League Two return

Exeter were top of League One in September but they slipped into the relegation zone after a 3-2 loss at Reading on New Year's Day and look overpriced even-money shots for a bottom-four finish.

The Grecians are enjoying their second successive season in the third tier but they are a small club at the level and are often at risk of losing their better players.

They finished 14th last season but were forced to rebuild in the summer due to the departure of Jevani Brown, Josh Key, Jack Sparkes, Sam Nombe and Archie Collins.

There were positive signs early in the season as the Devonians won five of their first eight league games, but performances and results soon deteriorated and they managed only one victory in the next 16 fixtures.

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell wants to be active in the transfer window and has already brought in Fulham attacking midfielder Luke Harris on loan.

However, his team have been struggling for several months and may be heading for League Two.

Faith in Bishop could pay dividends

Charlton striker Alfie May and Blackpool's on-loan Huddersfield forward Jordan Rhodes are joint leaders in the League One scoring charts with 15 goals, but it looks a wide-open race with five players within three goals of the top two.

Portsmouth's Colby Bishop is just two off the pace with 13 goals and looks capable of further improvement in the second half of the campaign.

Bishop is a powerful striker with good movement and excellent aerial ability. He is a reliable penalty-taker and looks a tempting each-way top-scorer bet at 9-1.

Click for free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.