Lincoln City's Michael Appleton makes Bolton prediction and gives view on Wanderers transfers

The Imps boss has had his say ahead of the League On clash

Lincoln City boss Michael Appleton believes Bolton Wanderers pulled off a 'real coup' in the January transfer window with the signings made as the Imps boss suggested he might have to employ a different formation due to injuries.

Wanderers host the Imps tomorrow evening at the University of Bolton Stadium aiming to make it two wins on the bounce.

Bolton are 10th and seven points from the play-offs at present, while the Imps are 17th in the table.

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Appleton's men did not have a game on Saturday as their clash against Fleetwood Town was called off due to heavy snowfall at Highbury Stadium.

Though Wanderers were in action and expended energy in the 4-0 win over AFC Wimbledon and the Imps were not in action, Appleton believes that could be to Bolton's advantage as he hailed the business done in the summer.

He said: "When you're in the form that Bolton are in and you win a game as emphatically as they did on Saturday, sometimes your energy levels are even better and that adrenaline comes really, really naturally. Clearly they're in a great place at the minute.

"The business that they did in January was probably as good as anyone has done and performance and the results are proving that.

"To be fair earlier on in the season when we did play them, they were actually on a decent enough run. It was a good game. I think the way the game went earlier on in the season, I think 0-0 would have been a fair result. There wasn't really much happening and we had a little bit of a calamity with three or four errors in the build-up to the goal that they scored.

"But it was a good game of football with two good teams who pass the ball well and look to play an attacking style of football, but where they're at now obviously they're in a very different place.

"They've brought four or five real top quality players in and managed to get them not just on loan but to be able to get them as permanent signings which was a great coup for them."

In terms of injury and team news, Appleton suggested a couple of players are 50-50 for the encounter and that there are concerns in defence.

Some players may have to play through the pain barrier, the Lincoln boss said, and that there could be a formation change if not.

He said: "We've got a couple of 50-50s so we might have a bit of an issue in that back line. We've got a couple of lads who hopefully will come through something today so I'll keep my fingers crossed on that.

"That back line has been a sore point for us all season and we seem to be week in, week out, trying to put a back four together.

"It'd be nice if we could have three, four maybe even five games on the trot with a similar back four.

"They're going to have to (play through the pain barrier. If not you might see a slightly different formation style of how we go about it."