Everton v Bolton Wanderers
Football : England : Premier League
Saturday, 20th March 2010 - Kickoff 3pm

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Everton

If it wasn't for the unfortunate start to the season with injuries and poor form, Everton could have been a real threat to gatecrash the top 4 this season. At the moment, it seems that a European place may also be beyond their reach but that should not take away from the magnificent job David Moyes has done at Goodison Parkas he celebrates 8 years in charge.

Everton are 9th in the Premier League, and their 42 points tally means they are likely to finish in 8th place at best this year. There was a small period that it seemed that Everton were going to be involved in a bit of a relegation scrap, but their form since November picked up so much that they easily avoided that. They are 8-5-2 at home where they have scored 28 goals and conceded 18 this season.

They have only lost 2 of their last 15 games in the Premier League and are unbeaten in their last 8 at Goodison Park in the League. They have won 6 in a row there, including against Manchester United and Chelsea while they were exceptional in disposing of Hull City 5-1 here last time out.

Landon Donovon is out after his loan spell came to an end but there are no new injury concerns from the side that played at Birmingham last weekend.

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers have had an upturn in their fortunes in recent games and that has seen them move up the table and away from the relegation zone. Owen Coyle will be hoping to pick up the 8 points they need to guarantee safety for next season as soon as possible although they do have a couple of tough games on the horizon.

There is now an 8 point gap from Bolton in 13th to Burnley in the final relegation position. They have a 3-3-9 away record with 14 goals scored and 31 conceded and Owen Coyle seems to be getting the best out of Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander as he persists with a 4-4-2 formation for most games.

The Trotters have won 3 of their last 4 Premier League games, although they were thumped 4-0 in their last away game at Sunderland. Bolton have won 1 of their last 14 games away from home in all competitions and they have only kept 1 clean sheet in their last 15 games away from home.

Gary Cahill may make a surprise return to the Bolton line up after it seemed he was going to be ruled out for the rest of the season with a blood clot. Mark Davies is back from injury and Sam Ricketts has served his suspension.

Head to Head

Everton had won 5 of their last 6 games against Bolton before losing 3-2 at the Reebok Stadium earlier this season.

Everton have won their last 3 games at Goodison Park against Bolton, and all without conceding a goal.

Prediction

Everton have been in fabulous form recently and have been very impressive at Goodison Park. There seem to be plenty of goals in the side and they have scored 2 or more at home in their last 5 games at Goodison Park.

Bolton are another side that have been in strong form recently, winning games to move them up the table. This is a tough test for them against a team that has performed well at home, and anything they can pick up will be seen as a bonus.

Everton are currently strong favourites to win the game and I do believe that they are going to do so. However, I think I favour the game to go under 2.5 goals as I do believe Bolton may struggle to score a goal.

While Everton are likely to win, I think the price is a little short, and feel the best value may come with the Unders which would have been a winner at this venue on 2 of the last 3 meetings.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Everton 1-0 Bolton Wanderers

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Under 2.5 Goals