Arsenal V Bolton Wanderers Betting: Wednesday, 20th January

Arsenal V Bolton Wanderers

Wednesday, 20^th January – 19:45 GMT

Arsenal

League Position: 3rd

Recent Form: WWWDW

Arsenal are on fire at present, with only a 2-2 draw at home to Everton spoiling a magnificent run of four wins from five. A run which has enabled Arsenal to close the gap in Chelsea at the top of the table to just three points. However, the Gunners are still third in the table, one point behind Man Utd who have a game in hand, but Arsenal’s game in hand over the Reds’ is this fixture with Bolton and a win over a side they beat 2-0 at the weekend would see them leapfrog Man Utd into second position and become Chelsea’s closest pursuers.

Not only are Arsenal picking up plenty of points of late but they’re also playing some fabulous football, the most attractive on the eye out of any of the in form sides in the league. On Saturday, away at The Reebok to Bolton Wanderers, the very same opponents, Arsenal were given a run for their money as Bolton did assert themselves in that game, using their vastly superior physical strength to their liking, but it was Arsenal slick interchanging and slick passes, especially in the centre of the park, which enabled Arsenal to stride forward with consummate ease, slicing through the Bolton defence like a knife through butter. However, it was Cesc Fabregas who ran the show and it will be interesting to see if the Spaniard is given a full-time marker in the second quick-fire contest with Bolton.

The win over Bolton on Sunday afternoon was routine but we expect them to win in a more comfortable manner on Wednesday night back on home soil. The Gunners are returning to a venue where they’ve lost once all season and are unbeaten in four – The Emirates. However, Everton weren’t fancied by some, we weren’t part of the ‘some’, but they managed to hold out for a draw, or shall we say Arsenal were lucky to get a draw in actual fact. So, perhaps Bolton aren’t without a glimmer of hope, although we can still only see one outcome.

Arsenal’s last home appearance was that 2-2 draw with Everton. A game where Arsenal weren’t their free-flowing self, but the return of Cesc Fabregas on Saturday changed the whole complex of the Arsenal side completely as his bossed that midfield from start to finish. Opta (The King of statistics) revealed that the Spaniard is the most valued player in the Premiership at the half-way point of the season and when you watch the man in action it’s not hard to see why. Everything positive, all of Arsenal’s forward runs goes through Fabregas but not only that he’s a massive danger in the opposing penalty area as he’s a lean finisher of the ball. He already has 10 league goals to his name this season and we wouldn’t write him off extending that tally to 11 on Wednesday as he is proving the difference for Arsenal at the moment.

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 19th

Recent Form: DWDDL

Some were saying that Bolton didn’t play that bad against Arsenal at the weekend, which is true to a certain extent, but their poor start to game and their lacklustre showing in the middle of the park gave us a completely different after-viewing in that we felt Bolton massively underperformed, although there were big signs that the Owen Coyle affect is already taken place at The Reebok.

Bolton, on Sunday, played in a completely different manner to the one when Gary Megson was in charge. Their typical ‘route 1′ style of play has been binned and instead the attractive manner in which Burnley are spoken so highly of in today’s game was apparent in Bolton’s style of play last Sunday in that they got the ball down, passed it around to feet and their movement on and off the ball was miles better. Their attacks were more dangerous, they were harder to read and chances were cropping up more often than they were before Coyle’s arrival. However, the negative for us came in a sloppy start, with Bolton fairly non-existent in the first 45 minutes, and their toothless midfield.

We will begin with Bolton’s opening 45 minutes in that they were sluggish out of the blocks and didn’t really start playing until after Arsenal had struck with their first. It’s all good and well responding after going a goal behind but against the big boys, especially at home, you need to sprint out of the blocks and let your more glamorous opponents know they’re in a game. Bolton didn’t do this and they were punished for letting Arsenal settle, which leads me into my next point as it was the main reason why Bolton lost that game on Sunday – Midfield.

Bolton were famous for ‘hustling’ in the midfield under Gary Megson, even as far back as Sam Allardyce, getting stuck in with some meaty challenges, closing down at every opportunity and generally not allowing their opponents any time on the ball. There was none of this from Bolton on Saturday, and while playing this attractive style of football is exciting the fans, Bolton’s lacklustre efforts in midfield will rapidly overshadow this new and revamped look as results won’t be good. If Bolton don’t hustle in midfield at The Emirates on Wednesday then a big score could be on the cards. Arsenal controlled the entirety of the play in midfield and they reaped the rewards. However, the score was just 2-0 but that could be bigger in this contest if Owen Coyle doesn’t tighten that Bolton midfield.

Bolton haven’t faired too well when on their travels this season and have registered just two away wins in eight away outings this season. Moreover, Bolton haven’t won a game away from The Reebok since the end of September, a run of six games without any luck on the road. They’ve lost four of their last six away league games and their away scoring tally of just ten goals is the third lowest in the league.

Head-to-Head:

Arsenal W: 6 Bolton Wanderers W: 3 Draws: 1

• Arsenal won the last meeting, winning 2-0 a The Reebok last Sunday (17^th January).

• Arsenal have won the last six encounters with Bolton, three have come at home.

• Arsenal have never lost a home game with Bolton, with two draws being the best Bolton have fared.

• Arsenal’s last two wins against Bolton have been to NIL, while Bolton haven’t scored a goal in their previous two visits to The Emirates.

Match Verdict: Arsenal to WIN – 1.22 Bet365

We fancy another straightforward win for Arsene Wenger’s young Gunners as this previously postponed fixture finally nears a conclusion. Arsenal were far more clinical in the attacking third on Sunday, with their neat interchanging too much for Bolton to handle. At The Emirates, Arsenal’s players will be far more comfortable and will get a lot more ball time, which should only lead to one way traffic. If Cesc Fabregas is on song again then a big Arsenal victory for us. We still need to see some more improvements from Bolton, mainly in that midfield, before we change our opinion on them.

Match Odds:

Arsenal – 1.22 Bet365

Draw – 6.50 VCbet

Bolton Wanderers – 17.00 Bet365

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Cesc Fabregas Anytime Scorer – 2.80 PaddyPower