Bolton Wanderers V Wolverhampton Wanderers Betting: Saturday, 27th February

Bolton Wanderers V Wolverhampton Wanderers

Saturday, 27^th February – 15:00 GMT

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 18th

Recent Form: LDLDL

Relegation threatened Bolton go hunting for their first win six games when they entertain Wolverhampton Wanderers at The Reebok stadium in a fixture they have every chance of winning. Their form, though, heading into this meeting with Mick McCarthy’s Wolves isn’t great, not winning in five games, but four of their last five league games have been away fixtures, while Bolton have lost just one of their last six at home in the league, so don’t be too disheartened by their poor recent form and perhaps we should be more encouraged by their more cent efforts back at The Reebok.

It’s fair to say that Bolton are in a sticky situation in regards to their position in the Premier League table and their recent lapse in form. Not since the end of January have Bolton won a league game, while they’ve only managed five wins all season. With so few wins it’s unsurprising that the club are so far down the table, while only time will tell if the appointment of Owen Coyle was a correct one. They are playing much better under Coyle, and by that we mean they’re more attractive on the eye – something the fans demanded after years of torment under Gary Megson, the fans description of events at Bolton and not ours. However, whereas Gary Megson’s aggressive style of play with Bolton sometimes forced his way into the points jar, Owen Coyle’s graceful preference doesn’t seem to be getting Bolton very far, with just one win under his belt thus far.  

Since Coyle took over the reigns from Gary Megson, Bolton have picked up just five points from a possible thirty. They have had some tough fixtures mind, most of them away from home in fact, but while we could excuse them for not picking up as many points as they perhaps should of, the fact remains that defeats can have huge implications and the morale of any dressing room and that’s a big concern for Bolton who haven’t won any of their last five in the league. It’s a run which will only get worse with every bad result,. On Saturday, though, Bolton have a golden opportunity to end their drought with a home against an average Wolverhampton Wanderers side. If Bolton are to build up ahead of steam then they need a quick victory and the arrival of Mick McCarthy’s Wolves’ represents the perfect opportunity to jump straight on the road to redemption.

If we’re brutally honest, Bolton simply cannot afford to drop a single point in this fixture. This looks to be one of their easiest games left to play as they have some tough remaining fixtures left to play. Wolves have an average squad, with very few players standing out as Premiership quality, so Bolton need to put them to the sword on Saturday. Victory on Saturday could do wonders for team morale and it could be the platform for a survival push. However, lose this fixture and Bolton must surely be serious relegation candidates.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 16th

Recent Form: DDLWL

Last week Mick McCarthy and the unenviable task of somehow getting a result against the current Premiership leaders, Chelsea. It was a game where most, us included, thought Wolves were no-hopers, that Chelsea would steamroller their way past Mick McCarthy’s side at Molineux, although that was far from the case. Wolves took Chelsea apart at the back and actually found good goalscoring opportunities fairly easy to come by. However, their flaw on Saturday, what has been their Achilles hell for the entire season, was their inability to convert the many chances they did create, with some appearing clear cut. Nevertheless, the performance, against what is the best team in England judging the league table, was very pleasing for Mick McCarthy and he and Wolves will now try their luck against a team more on their level in Bolton Wanderers.

Considering Wolves have won just two away games all season, it’s hard to imagine thembeing victorious on Saturday, despite Bolton shaping up as a more feasible challenge. However, the slim two victories Wolves have enjoyed this season are two more than some teams have managed this season, so perhaps somewhere in their locker there is a match winning performance waiting to be found. On the same token, though, Wolves have fallen to three defeats in their last four away ventures; losing at Liverpool (2-0), Manchester United (3-0) and Birmingham City (2-1). The latter game, however, was yet another encounter where Wolves deserved far more than the zilch they got, with Wolves actually sitting on a 1-0 lead for the majority of that game before two late strikes from Kevin Philips. That was the last occasion Wolves went travelling in the league and it remains to be seen how the players will respond to that bitter defeat.

To our dismay, this Wolves side, one which doesn’t boast too many quality players at first glance, do actually know how to create chances, decent ones as well. However, actually sticking that round we like to call a ball through those white sticks is an art Wolves haven’t exactly mastered as of yet. Their tally of eleven away goals isn’t the worst, but it’s far from ideal. But, like music to the ears of Wolves supporters, their team have scored three goals in their last two away outings,so perhaps Wolves are slowly beginning to get into their stride and perhaps we should expect a few more goals from Wolves in their upcoming outings.

Credit where credits due; Wolves have faired so much better in this league then we could ever of imagined at the start of the season. They’ve been a match for most teams this season, which really shouldn’t be the case when you breeze through their list of squad members as neither stand out as anything special. However, the problem with Wolves is they just don’t know how to win a game of football. It’s a terrible trait, the worst in fact, and one which will scare all the punters away from backing them. The plus point is they have already won a league fixture in February, that being a sublime 1-0 win at home to Tottenham Hotspur, but they’ve now gone over three months without a win on the road and we’re having difficulties believing that Wolves will end their poor run this Saturday by beating a desperate Bolton side at The Reebok.

Match Verdict: Bolton Wanderers to WIN – 1.95 Boylesports

In the battle of the Wanderers, will Wolves be found ‘wandering’ once again? Well, we certainly think so, or would like to think so. We won’t be touching the game if we’re completely honest, but if we had to have a wager on either side then it would be Bolton purely because they have the potential, match winners if you like, in their squad to win a game of this magnitude and should come on strong at The Reebok. While Bolton have only played at The Reebok once this month; home is certainly where the heart is as far as Bolton are concerned, with the vast majority of their 23 points coming from home games. So, surely, just surely, they will bolster their tally on Saturday, boost their cause, with a much needed win over a Wolves side in close proximity to themselves.

Match Odds:

Bolton Wanderers – 1.95 Boylesports

Draw – 3.40 SkyBet

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 4.50 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Bolton Wanderers to WIN to NIL – 3.25 BlueSquare