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Ian Evatt says Wanderers “don’t fear anybody” ahead of Saturday’s League One opener against Ipswich.
The Tractor Boys have been tipped as early favourites for promotion, having brought in the likes of Marcus Harness and Freddie Ladapo among others this summer.
Evatt admits it is one of the most challenging fixtures of the season on paper but is optimistic his side can get something from the game.
“I think since Kieran took the job they’ve had a massive upturn in fortunes,” said the Bolton chief. “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 matchup. 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.”
Wanderers’ new B Team are also gearing up for the upcoming season, having played friendlies against Atherton Colls, Bamber Bridge and Southport so far.
“We have to be really careful with the narrative we use towards the B team at the moment,” added Evatt.
“I think this is a group of young players that have been thrown together from up and down the country, have been thrusted into completely new environments, some of them have moved away from home for the very first time. A completely new staff, a completely new group of players and we have to give them time.
“For me it’s not about results right now, it’s about the introduction to the football club, the environment, the culture, learning about our philosophy and identity and then engraining that into them. I must say that they’ve settled really well.
“Obviously the results haven’t been what everybody wants or expects, but it’s not about that now, they need some time.
“They all need time. It’s a completely new group and we’ve seen that ourselves when I first took over here - we had a completely new squad of players and for the first half of the season we couldn’t get results, and that changed in January so we just need to cut them a bit of slack and give them time to develop and improve.
“They’re young men, they’re all going to be good players in their own right. They’re not all going to make it - there’s no doubt about that and the stats say that - but if we can get two or three through the production line and into the first team then we’ve done a good job.”
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