EPL: Arsenal V Bolton Wanderers – Saturday, 11th September

Arsenal V Bolton Wanderers

Saturday, 11th September – 15:00 GMT

League Position: 2nd
League Form: DWW

Arsenal fans must rue the International break, especially Arsene Wenger, who once again will have been livid to see one of his first team fixtures hit with an injury which could keep them out for several weeks. Following on from the news that Robin Van Persie will be out of action for at least three weeks after picking up yet another ankle injury in the 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, Theo Walcott appeared to have either twisted or sprained his ankle whilst playing for England. Walcott had made an impressive start to the season scoring 4 goals in his opening three league games, but this latest injury setback could hamper his progress as the player was clearly enjoying some momentum following some eye-catching performances.

So Arsene Wenger will be forced into ringing the changes for Saturday’s home clash with Bolton Wanderers at The Emirates, although there is good news on the Samir Nasri front. The Frenchman has been making steady progress following surgery on his knee and could be in contention for a start on Saturday. However, the injury to Van Persie means Moroccan born Chamakh, who has scored just once in three appearances for the Gunners since moving to the club on a free transfer from Bordeaux, should lead the line in the wake of injuries to Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner.

More positive news for Arsenal fans is that Cesc Fabregas appears to be nearing full fitness and is a definite starter on Saturday. Despite scoring nine goals in their opening three league games of the season, Arsenal have sorely missed the craft and vision Fabregas brings to the forte, as well as his keen eye for the goal. The Gunners went through a nervy encounter with Blackburn last time out and needed to produce a performance of real grit and determination to come away with all three points, although had Fabregas been in the shake up Arsenal probably would have won more comfortably, as there was space in the midfield to be exploited.

Arsenal have now won their last two league games and it’s important they maintain their momentum by seeing to Bolton on Saturday in a game they will, nevertheless, expect to win. Arsenal’s last home encounter was their 6-0 drubbing of Blackpool, a game Fabregas would have surely helped himself to a couple of goals, while the last time these two met in London ended in a 4-2 win for the Gunners. So there should be goals in this game for Arsenal if they turn on the style and don’t get complacent in the final third, with Chamakh in particular needing to tweak his vision and show why Wenger fancied the Moroccan so much when at Bordeaux.

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 5th
League Form: DWD

Bolton are up in the clouds at the present time, fifth position to be exact, but they could be on the verge of bring brought back down to earth with aplomb as they prepare to make the trip down to the capital to take on Londoners Arsenal at The Emirates stadium.  The reason we say this is because the Trotters don’t have a particularly strong record when playing away to Arsenal in the league, if you can call a succession of four straight defeats in London any sort of record, and although they’ve made some positive inroads this season under Owen Coyle, earth is calling Bolton and they’ll be hard-pressed to get a result over the weekend.

However, Bolton did give the Gunners two vigorous examinations last season, within the space of a week surprisingly enough, taking the lead twice at The Emirates before eventually succumbing to a bitter tasting, and somewhat underserving, 4-2 loss. That was in the early stages of Coyle’s Bolton career, a sign of things to come perhaps, and Coyle kept his promise, with Bolton making a promising start to the new Premier League season following three games without defeat, picking up five points from a possible nine.

The Trotters really are playing some attractive football right now, a characteristic never before associated with the club previously, but a coy Coyle has managed to retain Bolton’s combative style and combined it with some classy, technical play which has resulted in a pretty effective formula. They will, though, be slightly disappointed with the start they’ve made at home, drawing their opening two league encounters at The Reebok with Fulham and Birmingham City, but Bolton fans were left delirious as they beat West Ham 3-1 at Upton Park, their second win over the Hammers in successive seasons.

Although it’s early days still, it is difficult not to be impressed with how Bolton have approached and begun the new campaign. The longest run they went unbeaten last season was four, twice, and although equalling that feat will be difficult they will at least head to the Emirates full of confidence and oozing with self belief. The task will be made harder though without arguably the club’s most consistent and loyal servant over the years in Finnish goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, who serves a three match ban for his red card against Birmingham City. Meanwhile, Owen Coyle may have to consider dropping one of his in form strikers, with Johan Elmander the likely casualty after he sustained a knock to the head while on international duty with Sweden, as Coyle looks to pack the midfield and reduce the amount of space and time available on the ball for Arsenal.

Match Prediction: Arsenal to WIN – 1.25 StanJames

The return of Cesc Fabregas should be enough to inspire an Arsenal side without Robin Van Persie and Theo Walcott to a priceless win over a Bolton side which could cause them problems if they don’t approach this fixture with a professional attitude. The Gunners set the standards at The Emirates three weeks ago, despatching of newly promoted Blackpool with ease in a 6-0 whitewash, and fans will be hoping to see more goalmouth action on Saturday, in their favour, of course.

With Robin Van Persie now out of the fray, Marouane Chamakh really does need to deliver, as the Moroccan has been less than impressive in his first couple of Premier League appearances. He has proved he’s strong in the air but is ground play isn’t quite up to Premier League standards, while he hasn’t exactly been ruthless and efficient in front of goal. If the Ronaldo lookalike doesn’t bring home the bacon than the burden is likely to fall upon Fabregas’s shoulders once again.

Soccer-Betting Value Tip: Cesc Fabregas First Goalscorer – 6.50 Coral

Match Odds:

Arsenal – 1.25 StanJames
Draw – 6.00 PaddyPower
Bolton – 15.00 Ladbrokes