Bolton Wanderers V West Ham United Betting

Bolton Wanderers V West Ham United

Tuesday 15^th December – 20:00 GMT

Bolton Wanderers

League Position: 19th

Recent Form: LLDLD

Gary Megson will have been ecstatic with his sides displays at the weekend, a stunning performance which resulted in a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Man City, a team which is probably worth around ten times as much as Bolton’s. Nevertheless, Bolton defied the apparent gulf in class and, in some aspects, out battled Man City at times and a similar performance on Tuesday would actually make them a very tough side to oppose, especially as they are facing a beleaguered West Ham United.

Bolton were sensational at the weekend and were more than a match for mega rich Man City at the Reebok. Many daft punters were writing Gary Megson’s battle hardened troops off before a ball was even kicked. Not us though, as we correctly predicted that Bolton would notch up at least a point on Saturday and they deservedly did just that. In actual fact, you would have been hard pressed to say Bolton wouldn’t have deserved all three were they to have won that game as their work ethic that day was second to none. They harried all around the pitch, they weren’t afraid to get stuck in with some strong tackles.

However, what impressed us the most was the threat they posed in the final third and the pace of their breakaways. City we often leaving just the one man back at set-plays and Gary Megson wisely spotted this and the Bolton players were on the ball, also. Whenever Bolton could get the ball away, there would be five or six Bolton players charging forward and it was just a lack of composure which, unfortunately, let them down.  

Bolton’s performance was one of many that deserved heaps of praise but it will count for nothing if they don’t replicate it in a game they know they have every chance of winning. However, Bolton have failed to win at home in three attempts. However, two of those were extremely tough games with Chelsea and Man City and this will be their easiest home fixture to date. They are, however, without a win in the league for six games so you could say Bolton have forgotten how to win a game of football, although not many sides arrive at The Reebok served up so nicely on a plate then a down in the dumps, West Ham United.

West Ham United

League Position: 18th

Recent Form: LDWLL

West Ham are a club in serious trouble right now and only a win will do if they want to head into this gruelling festive period out of the bottom three. With the Hammers now falling to two successive defeats, the confidence around the club and on the pitch must be at a concerning low but a trip to Bolton isn’t all bad, although West Ham lost back-to-back games with Bolton last season so perhaps we are underestimating their situation here. 

Gianfranco Zola and his team have it all to do if they are to guide West Ham out of the rut they are in. They’ve managed just two wins in eight outings in the league but they’ve yet to pick up a single point in the month of December. To add to their woes, their away form this season has been pathetic. In eight away outings, West Ham have managed just the one win and even that solitary away success came on the opening day of the season meaning the Hammers haven’t won on their travels in seven outings. It’s an appalling run of away results and it’s arguably the worst in the league.

It’s not even as if West Ham have had tough away fixtures of late as they haven’t. Games with; Stoke City, Sunderland, Hull City & Birmingham City, were all matches were Zola will have been confident about his sides chances of registering a rare away win. However, from just those four games, West Ham picked up just two points, with defeats at Birmingham and Stoke City.

West Ham’s away efforts weren’t too bad at the start of the season but it’s rapidly got a lot worse, especially in defence. In their opening four away fixtures, West Ham conceded just four goals, three of which came at Man City. However, their previous four outings has seen them ship eight goals, double the amount they were conceding at the start of the campaign, which just goes to show how the confidence within camp has affected their performance on the pitch, especially their defenders.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Bolton Wanderers W: 7 West Ham United W: 1 Draw: 2

You won’t come across too many domineering h2h records then this one as Bolton hold all the aces over West Ham. Gary Megson’s Bolton have won the previous three meetings between the two side, but, more importantly, have won each of the five encounters at The Reebok. Moreover, West Ham, in five league visits to Bolton, have only managed one goal, failing to score in four out of five outings at The Reebok. They did, however, score their last season, albeit in a 2-1 defeat.

Match Verdict: Bolton Wanderers to WIN – 2.30 Boylesports

You would like to think this is a glorious opportunity for Bolton to bolster their less-than-impressive points tally but they did come a cropper the last time we fancied them, that was in a 2-0 defeat to Blackburn Rovers. However, their stunning effort on Saturday to draw 3-3 with Man City should be the building block they needed to bigger and better things, by better we mean a little further away from the drop zone. Their opponents, West Ham, have struggled all season and are probably at their lowest right now after two successive defeats. The Hammers are certainly there for the taking. Whether Bolton are up the to task is a tough question. We would like to think so, and they are good odds to comply.

Match Odds:

Bolton Wanderers – 2.30 Boylesports

Draw – 3.30 Bet365

West Ham United – 3.35 Expekt.com

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Over 3.5 Goals (4 Goals or More) – 3.40 Boylesports