Bolton Wanderers V Tottenham Hotspur Betting: Sunday, 14th February (FA Cup – ITV1)

Bolton Wanderers V Tottenham Hotspur

Sunday, 14^th February – 13:30 GMT (ITV1)

Bolton Wanderers

FA Cup Outright Odds: 44/1 bWin

Bolton have been blessed with yet another home FA Cup fixture, their third of the campaign, although they won’t have been impressed in the slightest with their draw of Tottenham Hotspur, a side with top four ambitions in the Premiership. Nevertheless, this is a very do-able fixture for Bolton, and if they apply themselves in the right manner and put in a good shift then the quarter-finals will beckon for Owen Coyle and his battle-hardened troops.  

It’s rare to see Bolton get this far in a cup competition as their squads down the years haven’t exactly been big, nor impressive, and while their run in this years competition looks great, which it is, they have been fortunate this season in that the draw has favoured them somewhat. Not only were both of their previous two FA Cup fixtures at home, at The Reebok, but they were also against lower league opposition in Lincoln City & Sheffield United. Still, as the old adage goes “You can only beat what is put in front of you” and Bolton have applied that rule perfectly thus far in the FA Cup, dispatching both Lincoln & United with aplomb.

Tottenham, however, will provide Owen Coyle with a much sterner test and the players will really need to raise their game for this clash as they will need to be on top of their game to overcome a Spurs side which is well equipped to delve even deeper in the tournament. Bolton will lose out in the battle for squad supremacy, with Tottenham’s strength in depth far superior to Bolton’s, but Owen Coyle can feel confident in the knowledge that his best starting eleven can be a match for most sides in the Premiership on their day, and they’ve proven this in recent fixtures; pushing Arsenal all the way in two defeated outings and then giving Liverpool a few scares at Anfield just a fortnight ago.

It is easy to forget that Bolton haven’t been picking up an awful lot of points of late, despite some valiant displays sometimes overshadowing the final result. They were beaten once again in midweek, after again playing very well, when they lost out to Man City. That was their fourth defeat in six games under Owen Coyle but the former Burnley manager has had a torrid fixture list to contend with in his short tenure at the club and a victory on Saturday would go some way to forgetting this poor run of results.

Tottenham Hotspur

FA Cup Outright Odds: 13/2 Coral

Harry Redknapp would have been wishing for a far easier draw then the one they eventually got when they got drawn with Bolton Wanderers in an away outing. Tottenham have already paid Bolton a visit this season in the Premier League and it was honours even that day in an exciting 2-2 draw. However, with crucial fixtures coming up, and the battle for fourth getting competitive, Redknapp and Tottenham could do without another draw as a replay would only hamper their fixture list. 

So, we suppose the question is; Will Harry Redknapp go all out in search of the win to avoid an unwanted replay? Well, we don’t think he’ll change an awful lot with his tactics but we do think he will put more emphasis on his players at least trying their hardest to get a priceless and replay-avoiding win. Tottenham have been a lethal looking attacking side all season, with pace, height and tricky combined in the final third to make for one tricky outfit. However, Tottenham haven’t been as effective away from home, with just a third of their wins in the league coming away from White Hart Lane.  

The big negative for us is Tottenham’s current away predicament in that their only away victory in all competitions since Christmas was their win at Elland Road against Leeds United in the previous round, although even that was by virtue of a replay. They’ve failed in their last three attempts to win an away fixture against Premiership opposition, drawing at both Fulham & Birmingham City while losing at Liverpool. However, this could all change by Wednesday night as they take on Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux.

Tottenham did look a classy outfit in their last FA Cup outing at Leeds but, then again, Leeds are a League One side and they did sit back and allow Tottenham to come at them. Bolton, however, won’t be as generous with time and space on the ball and will close the Spurs players down at every given opportunity. This will be a tough game for Tottenham and, despite boasting some classy individuals in their squad, could very well struggle to compete with a combative Bolton Wanderers at The Reebok.

How they got here?

Bolton Wanderers

Beat Lincoln City 4-0 (H)

Beat Sheffield United 2-0 (H)

Tottenham Hotspur

Beat Peterborough United 4-0 (H)

Drew Leeds United 2-2 (H)

Beat Leeds United 3-1 (A)

Match Verdict: Bolton Wanderers to WIN – 3.75 Coral

It’s a bold prediction but we feel Bolton could get one over on Tottenham at the weekend. They’ve come ever so close to a huge victory over a talented side on so many occasions now and Spurs could be the game where Bolton fans step up and realise that Owen Coyle is the real deal as Bolton manager. He has them playing proper on-the-floor football now, with more threat and guile when going forward, while they still boast that tough, awkward feel to them which makes them a more versatile side now. It will require a big performance from the Bolton, that should go without saying, but I feel Bolton could supply us with a mini shock here in a round where we don’t expect there to be many.

Match Odds:

Bolton Wanderers – 3.75 Coral

Draw – 3.40 Boylesports

Tottenham Hotspur – 2.20 BlueSquare

SoccerBetting Value Pick: Team to score first (Bolton) – 2.50 StanJames