Bolton Wanderers V Arsenal

Sunday, 17^th January – 16:00 GMT (Sky Sports 1)

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 18th

Recent Form: LDWDD

The fact that Bolton are third from bottom will be a forgotten fact this weekend as the Bolton fans prepare to roll out of the red carpet for a former idol, Owen Coyle, as the former Burnley manager starts his reign as Bolton manager on Sunday in his first game in charge at a club he supported as a boy. His main objective will be to lift Bolton away from the doom and gloom of the bottom three but for now getting a result at home to Arsenal is his main concern.

It’s been a difficult first half of the season for Bolton fans who have often had to watch their team play in a rigid and stiff manner, and getting severely punished for it on occasions. This was one of the reasons why a change at the very top was needed but the stick the fans gave former manager, Gary Megson, wasn’t called for nor deserved but we’re sure Owen Coyle will get a tremendous reception at The Reebok this Sunday, although whether he leave there with the love still in tact is another question, and one that’s open to debate.

Bolton are currently struggling down in 18^th position but are just a point off safety. Also, with West Ham facing a tough trip to Villa Park, a draw on Sunday might be enough to lift Bolton out of the bottom three which would certainly be a big step in the right direction for the club and Owen Coyle’s reign as manager. To be honest, a point is probably a realistic goal for them this Sunday as predicting a home win looks a long shot in our eyes. Bolton simply haven’t been a match for most opponents this season, losing nearly half of their opening 18 completed fixtures. 

However, Bolton have given their confidence levels a big boost with a five match unbeaten run. They’ve gone unbeaten in four games in the league, one win and three draws, whilst they safely booked their passage into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 4-0 victory at home to Lincoln City, extending their unbeaten run to five in all competitions. This run will have done the players the world of good but wins have still been hard to come by with their last league victory coming back in December in a 3-1 win over a hapless West Ham. That is their one and only win in nine league games which isn’t good.

Good news for Bolton fans is that their side has been scoring goals again but they are leaking just as many at the back and are still the only side in the league not to have kept a clean sheet this season. That doesn’t look likely to change against the leagues most prolific striking force in Arsenal, so goals, and plenty of them, will be needed if Bolton are to take anything from this fixture. They scored two in their last home appearance, a 2-2 draw with Hull City, whilst they’ve found the net twelve times in their previous four home games so perhaps Bolton are capable of a big goalscoring display.

Arsenal

League Position: 3rd

Recent Form: DWWWD

Arsenal will be looking to continue their charge on the top two when they travel to Bolton in a game they are more than capable of winning at a cantor. However, the Gunners shown drastic signs of complacency and arrogance in their last outing in the league when they drew 2-2 with Everton at The Emirates. That, too, was a game Arsenal could and probably should have won on paper but that draw threw a spanner in the works after previously managing to win four games on the trot, so we mustn’t get too carried away either.

The talk this week was all about the return of a defensive God in Sol Campbell as the former England centre-half played 45 minutes in the Arsenal reserves on Tuesday night. His lack of fitness means he won’t be available for this trip after Arsene Wenger confirmed he would require Campbell’s services for the remainder of the season, although it’s hard to see where he would fit in as William Gallas & Thomas Vermaelen have been superb at the back for Arsenal this season in defending their own goal and scoring goals of their own. Still, Campbell’s return has given the fans something to talk about and lifted the spirit of the fans and players ahead of what will be a tough match at The Reebok.

It’s imperative that Arsenal get back to winning ways after only picking up a point last weekend in their home fixture with Everton. Arsenal were really sloppy in that fixture and could consider themselves fortunate to have drawn that game as Everton outplayed them in parts. Both of Arsenal’s goals were via deflections and the Gunners needed a bit of luck to get them through what really should have been a three pointer for them. That’s the good thing about the Premiership in that there’s always a game the following weekend to make amends and Arsene Wenger will be expecting a huge performance from his chosen starting eleven on Sunday in a bid to make an instant return to winning ways.

It’s quite apparent that Arsenal have been far stronger at home this season, winning 8 at home to their 5 on the road, but Arsene Wenger’s side have still been a tricky opponent away from The Emirates and are unbeaten in their last three road trips, four if you include their 2-1 success at Upton Park in the FA Cup. The last time they lost an away league fixture was to Sunderland back in November, while they’ve lost three of ten away fixtures at the midway point, which isn’t great but isn’t catastrophic, either. Goals, though, have still been flying in scoring 23 in just ten away outings thus far, but with Wenger still missing his two brightest sparks in Van Persie & Fabregas, although the latter could be closer to a return, will Arsenal struggle for creativity at The Reebok like they did last weekend at The Emirates?

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Bolton Wanderers W: 3 Arsenal W: 5 Draws: 2

•  Arsenal won both meetings last season; winning at The Emirates 1-0 and 3-1 at The Reebok. 

•  Arsenal’s goalscorers in last seasons 3-1 success were Eboue, Bendtner & Denilsion, but all three will be missing for the trip this time around. 

•  Arsenal are on a roll after winning the last five encounters, home and away, with Bolton. 

•  Arsenal have won on their last two visits to The Reebok scoring 3 goals on both occasions. 

•  The last eight meetings at The Reebok has seen Bolton score at least one goal in each game, while Arsenal have scored in six of the eight. 

• Bolton’s last home victory over the Gunners came back in 2006, winning 3-1.

Match Verdict: Arsenal to WIN – 1.57 SkyBet

We were tempted to select the draw but we feel Arsenal should have just enough to overhaul a resurgent Bolton Wanderers on their own turf. Arsene Wenger will be without some key players, perhaps even Cesc Fabregas, but the likes of Thomas Rosicky, Samir Nasri & Eduardo will need to step up to the mark in their absence and pull a bid display out of the bag as Arsenal really need all three points. Bolton will use their superior physical strength to try and play hustle with Arsenal, a tactic which has worked for Bolton against Arsenal in the past, but we feel Arsenal’s quality will prevail in this contest.

Match Odds:

Bolton Wanderers – 6.50 PaddyPower

Draw – 4.00 Bet365

Arsenal – 1.57 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Eduardo FGS – 6.5 SkyBet