English Premier
2009-01-10 - Arsenal vs Bolton Wanderers
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Football : England, Premier League
Saturday 10th January 2009 - Kickoff 15:00
Arsenal (5th - Home : 6-2-2 17:11)
Arsenal beat Plymouth in last weekend's FA Cup 3rd round game, easing through relatively comfortably but it was hardly the performance of a dominant side in form.
Arsenal Team News :
Arsenal will be without Willam Gallas and Mikael Silverstre who are both likely to be sidelined for three weeks because of injury.
Manager Arsene Wenger expects centre-back Kolo Toure and midfielder Denilson to return to the squad alogn with Gael Clichy and Alex Song.
Arsenal Squad :
Almunia, Sagna, Djourou, Toure, Clichy, Eboue, Denilson, Song, Nasri, Adebayor, Van Persie, Fabianski, Diaby, Ramsey, Bendtner, Wilshere, Gibbs, Vela.
Bolton ( 11th - Away : 4-0-6 14:17)
Bolton have not matched up well against the traditional "Big Four" this season - losing all five Premier League games against these clubs, and have not scored in the last four.
Bolton were knocked out of the FA Cup last weekend, losing 1-2 at Sunderland in a low quality tie.
Bolton Wanderers Team News :
Bolton captain Kevin Nolan and defender Gretar Steinsson are both suspended for the trip to the Emirates.
Gary Cahill may miss out again after missing the past two games with rib and hip injuries, but midfielder Gavin McCann is available after a ban.
Bolton Squad :
Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Shittu, Cahill, A O'Brien, Samuel, Riga, Muamba, McCann, Taylor, Davies, Gardner, Elmander, Obadeyi, Bogdan, Smolarek, Fojut, Basham.
Head to Head
Fifth placed Arsenal are aiming to beat Bolton for a fifth successive time in the Premier League, having won the last four league encounters including a 3-1 win at the Reebok Stadium earlier this season.
Wanderers have not picked up a win at Arsenal for 47 years, but they have earned a couple of draws in recent times.
The Verdict
Arsenal are some way short of the sort of form that they were displaying 12-24 months ago, and a look at some of the names on the team sheet shows that Wenger's determination to run a small squad has left him threadbare.
Bolton have shown an ability to produce surprise results on the road, and with a re-arranged arsenal backline it could be argued that a shock result is a little more likely.
But Bolton have important players missing too, and may find it difficult to exploit Arsenal's reorganised defence.
Still, I think that the "value" shock bet is in the DRAW rather than the away win - and even then I'm still picking Arsenal to squeak this.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Arsenal 2-1 Bolton
BEST BETTING TIP :
So ARSENAL to win then - but not a big bet - as I'd want prices of 1/2 (1.50) or more given the scenario.
