English Premier
2011-12-31 - Bolton Wanderers vs Wolves
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 31 December 2011 - Kick Off 3pm
Bolton Wanderers
All the good work from Owen Coyle's men seemed to be undone when they went down to Newcastle United in their last game at the Reebok Stadium, and the pressure is back on the team after their 1-2 win at Blackburn Rovers before Christmas. With the Premier League reaching the halfway stage, and Gary Cahill looking set to leave for Chelsea, Bolton cannot afford to lose points to teams around them.
And this game definitely constitutes one where they cannot afford to lose points. Bolton are 19th in the Premier League having earned just 12 points this season, and they are 4 points behind their opponents in the last position of safety. Bolton are just 1-0-8 at the Reebok Stadium this season, scoring 10 goals and a League high 23 at home this season.
The Trotters have lost 6 of their last 7 Premier League games coming into this one, and they have lost 3 consecutive games at home since beating Stoke here 5-0. Bolton have conceded at least 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 games, while they have conceded at least 2 goals in every home game apart from the one against Stoke this season.
Gary Cahill could possibly be left out of the side now that he is in talks with Chelsea. Darren Pratley is out with a virus, but Sam Ricketts, Joe Riley and Gretar Steinsson are all available again.
Wolves
Wolves took advantage of the fact that all the sides in the bottom 3 failed to win on Boxing Day by earning a valuable point from their trip to North London to face Arsenal. There is still a bit of pressure on the side as they get set for another relegation fight, but a win here could seriously ease the pressure.
The point gained at Arsenal left Wolves in 17th place in the Premier League, but they now hold a 2 point advantage over Wigan in the final relegation spot, although a loss here would tighten that gap. The team are 1-2-6 away from home this season, scoring just 7 goals and conceding 18.
Wolves have picked up draws in their last 2 Premier League games, but they have only won 1 of their last 7 games. They have not kept a clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League games, while they had conceded at least 2 goals in 6 away Premier League games before the game against Arsenal last time out.
Nenad Milijas has been ruled out through suspension for the next 3 games, while Jamie O'Hara is out until the New Year. Ronald Zubar is likely out of this game and could be replaced by Richard Stearman.
Head to Head
Bolton have won 4 of their last 5 home League games against Wolves, including a 1-0 win here last season.
The last 3 games at the Reebok Stadium has seen 2 or less goals being scored.
Prediction
This game should be full of pressure and that should lead to mistakes meaning that I am not going to be able to back either to win the game outright.
Bolton and Wolves have both struggled defensively all season and have been conceding goals for fun- without Gary Cahill it could be even tougher for Bolton here, while Wolves could be under pressure to secure a result against a relegation rival and have conceded at least 2 goals in their last 6 away games before the game at Arsenal.
I can see both teams scoring in this game, while I think both will be pushing on for the win. I will look to back Over 2.75 Goals in this game and look for a high-scoring game.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Wolves
