English Premier
2011-12-17 - Fulham vs Bolton Wanderers
A Sports Betting Pick by Lamps
Football : England : Premiership
Saturday 17th December - Kickoff 3:00pm
Fulham
14th placed Fulham currently have 15 points from their 15 games played which is good enough for a 3 point cushion above the drop zone.
After losing 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium to Swansea at the weekend, Fulham ended their 3 game unbeaten run. Still with the bottom side (Bolton) visiting this weekend they will fancy their chances of returning to winning ways.
On Saturday, Fulham missed a penalty when 1-0 down and then conceded into injury time in a game that saw Swansea dominate. However, the point is despite not playing well they had a great chance to remain on their unbeaten run and I think they will perform much better this weekend.
When focusing on the home form specifically, Fulham has a mixed record of 2-3-2 having beaten QPR (6-0) and Liverpool (1-0) but then suffered shock defeats to Everton (1-3) and Spurs (1-3). Despite not winning against City (2-2) they played incredibly well, coming from 2-0 down and were the first side to hold the "Champions Elect". Other draws came against Villa (0-0) and Blackburn (1-1).
If Fulham had the midweek off and didn't play a crucial Europa League game on the Tuesday I would be all over the Cottagers this weekend. Unfortunately they need to beat bottom side Odense to guarantee progress into the next round.
Whilst the squad will be rotated some players like Zamora will start on Tuesday and most likely on Saturday where fatigue is an issue. The 4 day break shouldn't be a problem but having played Liverpool last Monday as well, come Saturday this will be Fulham's 4th game in 12 days which is a tall ask for any side.
Fulham Team News
Bar any major setbacks in the Europa League game (assuming most first teamers will be rotated but please check after Tuesday) Fulham will be without Grygera and Sidwell whilst Murphy remains a doubt.
Zamora assuming he comes through the midweek game will partner Johnson with Dembele pushing on from midfield. Out wide Duff and Ruiz will be the threats with new signing Ruiz looking much better, the more games he plays in this league.
At the back Schawrzer is excellent inbetween the sticks and the back four of Riise, Hangeland, Senderos and Kellly are very useful and should cope with Bolton's not so prolific strike force.
Bolton
Things are looking bleak for Bolton, rock bottom and have already lost a league high 12 games. Despite only playing 15 games this season, the nearest sides to them for this unwanted record are Wolves, Wigan and Blackburn (the sides directly above them) with 9 losses. This weekend they travel south to face Fulham in a very tricky away fixture for Coyle's side.
I read at the weekend that Bolton's board were considering the position of Coyle but apparently there is a £7m liability if they sack him which given Bolton's shoe string budget, they can't afford to offload their manager.
Not sure how much that affects the side on the pitch but at the moment, Bolton are having a torrid time. Currently on a 4 game losing streak the side can't have too much confidence about them and won't be looking forward to a trip the Craven Cottage.
Earlier in the year this side went on a run of 6 straight defeats and the 1 win in November against Stoke separates another run of 6 losses to present day.
Focusing away from home, Bolton actually has a better away record (ranked 14th) than home one (ranked 20th and last). In 7 away games, Coyle's side has won at QPR (0-4) back on opening day and then at Wigan (1-3) in mid October. Since that last win they have lost 3 on the bounce at Swansea (3-1), West Brom (2-1) and Spurs (3-0).
In their last 4 games overall, Bolton has been shut out twice scoring just 2 goals both from Klasnic. At the other end the defence has no clean sheets and conceded 9 goals at over 2 a game and in fact they have conceded at least 2 in all 4 of these games. Whether Fulham are a little jaded or not following their Europa League game, they will put Bolton's defence under severe pressure and look very likely to get a couple themselves.
Bolton Team News
Injuries have plauged this side all season and once again Coyle will be without Davis, Holden, Lee, Mears, Ricketts, Riley and Wheater whilst doubts remain over Alonso, Gardner, Klasnic and Reo-Coker.
Despite all those players out the back 5 should remain as Jääskeläinen, Robinson, Cahill, Knight, Boyata with a likely midfield 5 of Tuncay, Davies, Pratley, Klasnic (if he makes it) and Eagles. Alone up top will be Davies with Klasnic supporting when they win the ball back, although against Fulham I imagine there will be plenty of spells without the ball.
The Betting Verdict
Over the years Fulham have dominated the head to head with 8 wins from the last 12 with the other 4 games ending in score draws.
The main trend between the two is both to score, in 9 of those 12 games both sides have found the back of the net. Before last season's 3-0 home win, the last time a side was shut out in this fixture was back in 04 6 games ago.
I'm not sure we will see a Bolton goal this weekend given how poor they are at the moment but I do fancy Fulham goals. Fulham to score 2 goals or more is my bet for this match despite the overs sure to hit if Bolton get one themselves.
Bolton has conceded 2 or more in 7 of their last 10 away games and in 8 of their last 10 overall, yet we can get a very good price on Fulham to get 2 goals.
Fulham going forward at times have struggled but when against similar opponents like Bolton (QPR and Wigan) they scored 6 and 2 respectively with both having better defences than Bolton's. If the Fulham that played against Liverpool and City turns up and Bolton playing like, well Bolton this should be a winner.
Good Luck
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Fulham 2-1 Bolton
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
Back Fulham To Score Over 1.50 goals at 1.75 at Stan James
