Bradford City will hate Steven Schumacher’s emerging Bolton Wanderers weapon | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers' Ibrahim Cissoko has found form recently, and he could be key for Steven Schumacher's side as they face Bradford in the play-offs.

Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers meet in the first leg of their play-off semi-final on Saturday, in what promises to be a thrilling battle to reach Wembley.

The two sides were separated by just two points over 46 games, with the Bantams finishing above Wanderers.

Meanwhile, the two games they played in the campaign ended in a draw, which included a meeting at Valley Parade a matter of weeks ago.

Therefore, it’s fair to say there’s nothing much between the sides, with Graham Alexander and Steven Schumacher fully aware this tie could be decided by fine margins.

Bolton will feel they have the firepower to hurt Bradford

In such a situation, little details can make all the difference. Injuries, suspensions and the form of individuals can tilt the balance in favour of one side over the other, and whilst Bolton haven’t won in three going into the play-offs, they do have some players hitting their stride.

In Johnny Kenny, they have a striker who has scored five goals in his last six games, which included a brilliant strike against the Bantams.

Furthermore, Amario Cozier-Duberry has been one of the standout players in League One this season, scoring eight goals, many of which were fine individual efforts, and providing ten assists, with the on-loan Brighton man a joy to watch at times with his pace and skill.

So, they will know all about Kenny and Cozier-Duberry, but one player who could also make a decisive impact is Ibrahim Cissoko.

Ibrahim Cissoko could have a big role to play for Bolton against Bradford

The quick winger spent last season in the Championship, with Plymouth and Sheffield Wednesday, and he struggled for consistency, with Cissoko only ever showing flashes of his talent with Argyle.

When Bolton secured a deal for the 23-year-old, it looked a smart addition. In the third tier, there was an expectation Cissoko could run riot, and playing regularly was exactly what he needed at this stage of his career.

Yet, it’s fair to say Bolton will have been underwhelmed by the attacker since he joined from Toulouse for the season.

Cissoko had been given chances, and there were occasional positive moments, but he failed to deliver on a consistent basis, and his lack of productivity was alarming.

Even now, Cissoko only has three goals in 27 appearances, and he is yet to register an assist, which is clearly not good enough on the whole.

But, that doesn’t tell the whole story, as those three goals have all come in his last seven appearances. More importantly, he has two in three, and his performances in the final two games of the campaign have been hugely impressive.

That included an excellent display against Bradford, with Cissoko causing them huge trouble with his pace, direct style and ability to carry the ball. Even though the game ended 1-1, Bolton edged proceedings, and Cissoko was a key factor for that, with Bradford struggling to cope with him.

It’s a small sample size, but Cissoko does look as though he has been transformed in recent weeks, with the last-minute equaliser against Huddersfield giving him fresh belief and confidence.

Given how he has carried that on in the past two games, which includes starring against Bradford, it would be a huge surprise if he wasn’t in the XI from the off in the first leg.

At his best, there’s little debate about Cissoko’s ability. As he has shown, he can be difficult to stop for any League One defence, and, in truth, he has the talent to play at a much higher level.

Cissoko’s problem has been failing to show that talent on a consistent basis, and it will no doubt have frustrated Schumacher over the past nine months.

However, Cissoko appears to have found his form at just the right time, so when you add him to the likes of Kenny and Cozier-Duberry, Bolton will feel they have the attacking threat to fire them into the Championship.