English Premier
2012-04-21 - Bolton Wanderers vs Swansea
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 21 April 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
Bolton Wanderers
With a couple of extra games to play on their rivals, Bolton Wanderers will feel certain that they can still escape the relegation zone and maintain their status as a Premier League club. However, Owen Coyle won't want to see to many more performances like the one that led to a 0-3 loss here to Fulham in their last home game.
Bolton are 18th in the Premier League at kick off, but could move out of the bottom three if they pick up the three points as they are just 2 behind QPR who play the evening game. Wigan's recent good form has put a bit of pressure on Bolton as they look to improve their 4-2-10 record at home, scoring 19 goals and conceding 32 in those games.
This will be the first game Bolton have played since back to back defeats in the League over Easter Weekend, but they should still feel confident in their ability to escape the drop as they had won 3 consecutive League games before those defeats. The Trotters had won 2 League games in a row before the defeat to Fulham last time out.
There are no new injury worries for Bolton ahead of this game.
Swansea
Brendan Rodgers has made it clear that he is not going to allow his side to rest on their laurels until their safety is absolutely guaranteed, although that looks set to happen this week. He also indicated that he will be giving some of the fringe players their opportunity to play in the Premier League in what has been a successful season.
Swansea are 12th in the Premier League table and still have the chance to finish as the highest of the three promoted clubs from last season as well as a potential top half finish. They have a 4-3-10 record away from the Liberty Stadium, scoring 16 goals and conceding 30.
A 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers last week took Swansea over the 40 point mark for the season and they will be mathematically safe if they win this game or if QPR fail to beat Tottenham Hotspur in the evening game. Swansea had lost 4 straight League games before the win over Blackburn last week. They have lost back to back away games in the League, conceding 3 goals in each game including a 3-0 loss at QPR.
There could be some changes made to the Swansea starting XI as Brendan Rodgers indicated.
Head to Head
This will be the third meeting between the teams this season- Swansea beat Bolton 3-1 at the Liberty Stadium in the League, while Bolton beat Swansea 2-1 at home in the FA Cup.
Bolton have now won 3 of their last 4 home games against Swansea, but this will only be the second time they meet at the Reebok Stadium.
Prediction
I know Swansea were impressive in their 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers last week, but I don't know if that doesn't say more about Blackburn and the state of mind they are currently in.
As good as Swansea were in that game, they are just as bad in a heavy loss at QPR and I think Bolton Wanderers can take advantage of a team that may just take a breath now they are over the 40 point mark.
Bolton were beaten easily here by Fulham, but had a much improved performance in the 2-0 loss at Newcastle United, while they did record back to back wins over Blackburn Rovers and QPR here. They will still feel in control of their own destiny and I think they will be fully focused on getting the three points and putting the pressure on QPR ahead of their game against Tottenham Hotspur later that evening.
It is a risky pick as Swansea can be a streaky team that can put together wins, even after periods of losing games, but I just think they may not be as focused as Bolton and there could be changes to allow the fringe players the chance to play in the top flight, which is enough reason for me to take Bolton.
The Pick :
Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Swansea
