Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic
Football : England, Premier League 2009/2010
Saturday, 13th March 2010 - Kickoff 3pm

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Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers finally strung a couple of results together and moved away from the relegation zone, but there is a lot of work still to be done by Owen Coyle as there are only 5 points between them and the trapdoor. The 4-0 loss at Sunderland during the week would have also refocused the side and the effort that is required to stay in this division.

The Trotters are 14th in the Premier League and have a solid if unspectacular record at the Reebok Stadium this season. So far they are 4-5-5 at home where they have scored 18 goals but conceded 23. They are one of the lowest scorers at home in the Premier League, with only 4 sides scoring less than Bolton on their own turf this season.

Bolton won back to back games before their loss at Sunderland, including a vital 1-0 win over Wolves at home. The Wanderers are unbeaten in their last 5 home games under Owen Coyle since his loss to Arsenal here in his first game in charge. More importantly, they have only conceded 1 goal in those 5 games.

Tamir Cohen returns to the squad after missing the last 2 games but Sam Ricketts is suspended. Fabrice Muamba and Jack Wilshire are both going to need late fitness tests.

Wigan Athletic

Wigan are no longer the popular pick to be one of the sides relegated this season after they beat Liverpool 1-0 at home last Monday. However, while Wigan did play well, Liverpool were awful and the bottom of the table is so tight that a couple of bad performances will see Wigan fall back down the table.

They currently sit in 15th spot in the Premier League and the win over Liverpool has pushed them 4 points clear of the sides in the relegation positions. Wigan have a 3-2-9 away record, scoring 15 goals but conceding a huge 35. Only Burnley and Wolves have conceded more goals on their travels so far this season.

Wigan have only won 1 of their last 9 away games and they have lost 2 of their last 3. The win over Liverpool was their first in 9 attempts in all competitions which also saw them lose to League 2 Notts County in the FA Cup. Goals have been a premium in their games recently, with 7 of their last 8 games seeing 2 goals or less.

Mario Melchiot remains absent but no new injury concerns were reported.

Head to Head

This local derby has mainly been a tight affair since Wigan returned to the top flight, and Bolton have failed to win any of the last 4 meetings between the sides.

7 of the last 10 games between the sides has seen 2 or less goals.

Wigan have a good record at the Reebok Stadium, only losing 1 of their 4 visits while also winning twice. 3 of the 4 games have ended with 2 goals or less at the Reebok Stadium.

Prediction

Bolton Wanderers have been solid at home in recent weeks, although they do struggle to score goals. Owen Coyle will be hoping his side can continue their good run there, especially defensively, as this could prove the difference between Premier League and Championship football next season.

Wigan Athletic gained an important 3 points against Liverpool last Monday but I am not convinced that they have fully turned a corner and there is still a lot of work to be done at the club for survival. They have had their issues with scoring goals in recent weeks and will probably consider a point a good result.

I have begun leaning towards a home win, but have decided to go for a different option and play the under 2.5 goals in this game. For those with a little more courage and looking at real value, the under 1.5 goal option could pay dividends at 5pm tomorrow.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Bolton Wanderers 1-0 Wigan Athletic

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Under 2.5 Goals at 1.83 @ Canbet

Consider Under 1.5 goals at 3.40 at VCBet (could be a great bet come 5pm)