Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt believes Saturday’s campaign opener against the Blues at Portman Road is going to be “technically and tactically one of the best games of the season” in League One.
Evatt is leading Wanderers for a third year with his team having finished ninth in League One last season, following promotion in 2020/21, three points ahead of the Blues, having enjoyed a very impressive second half of the campaign.
From January 15th, when they beat Town 2-0 at the University of Bolton Stadium, they took 44 points from 21 games, winning 13, drawing five and losing just three.
Evatt has a similar approach to the game to Blues boss Kieran McKenna’s and the one-time Blackpool and Chesterfield centre-half says he has a lot of time for his Town counterpart.
"I think since Kieran took the job they’ve had a massive upturn in fortunes,” he told the Manchester Evening News. "I think he’s a very talented young coach, I think his team are excellent, pleasing on the eye.
"I appreciate and enjoy watching them myself, but I’m sure that he’ll look at us and think a similar thing to be honest.
"I think it’s a really high quality game. I think it’s almost spoilt that it’s so early on and the first game of the season because I think it’s going to be technically and tactically one of the best games of the season in this division. That’s my own opinion.
"Whether we’re quite ready and 100 per cent for it, we’ll only know that on Saturday with the quality of the game. Normally, early season games are quite cagey and nervy and they lack a bit of intensity.
"I think both teams want to play with intensity, both want to dominate the ball and have strong core values about what they expect from each other and from our identity, so I think it’s going to be an exciting match-up. They’ve spent vast amounts of money again.
"They’ve got some really good players, some really good business. All the players they’ve signed are excellent players, so it’s a really challenging game and probably the most difficult game of our season.
"I would think them and Sheffield Wednesday away will be the two most challenging games, but we don’t fear anybody. We’re going there to show what we can do as well and hopefully get the three points.”
Evatt says picking his team for Saturday is as tough a task as he's had in his time as a boss with the Trotters and previously at Barrow.
"Since I’ve been a manager, and it’s my fifth season now, it’s been the hardest team to pick,” he reflected.
"Not just that, it’s going to be a really tough 18 to pick because it’s going to be a really tough 18 to pick because there’s going to be a very good senior player left off the bench and it won’t be for the reasons that we don’t think they’re important or we don’t think they’re good enough to make a difference. It’ll literally be the balance of the bench and how that needs to look.
"Other than that, there’s going to be some seriously disappointed lads on Saturday, but as I’ve said to them all, it’s hopefully a 50-plus game season and everyone’s going to have to play a part.”
As with the Blues much is expected of Wanderers during the season ahead.
"I’m really looking forward to it, I must say,” he added. "People are saying this is pressure, but I don’t think it is. I think we’ve earnt the right to have this pressure, having this pressure and expectancy means
"I’ve done a pretty good job so hopefully that continues and the players are well prepared. I think we’ve all improved, myself included, in my time here and hopefully we can go ahead and show that this season.”
He added: "We’ve earnt the right for those expectations because we’ve fundamentally performed well for two seasons, we’ve had a promotion and a good campaign last season.
"We’re Bolton Wanderers in League One, we’re expected to do well, it’s as simple as that, but you haven’t got a given right to do it just because of the size of the club or the history or with regards to others. Just because they’ve spent the most money does not mean they’re going to get promoted either.”
Bolton have made four signings over the summer, left-back Jack Iredale, a player we understand the Blues were also eyeing, joined from Cambridge United, and centre-half Eoin Toal, who was linked with Town in 2019, signed from Derry City.
Additionally, Manchester City keeper James Trafford and Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley have joined on loan for the season.
More than 25,000 tickets have already been sold for Saturday's game.