English Premier
2012-01-21 - Bolton Wanderers vs Liverpool
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 21 January 2012 - Kick Off 5:30pm
This game is live on TV
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers finally said goodbye to Gary Cahill this week and also moved through to the next Round of the FA Cup with a win over Macclesfield, but now come back to the real focus of their season and maintaining their status as a Premier League club. Owen Coyle has indicated that he wants to also bring in more reinforcements during this January window and he has been linked with a few centre halves to replace Cahill.
The first thing on Coyle's mind this weekend will be trying to secure a vital 3 points against Liverpool in front of their own fans and the TV cameras. The win for local rivals Blackburn Rovers last weekend meant Bolton slipped down to 19th in the table, although they are more than in touching distance of the sides in the positions of safety. However, the Trotters will need to improve their home record where they are 1-1-8 in the League this season, scoring 11 goals and conceding 24. Unsurprisingly, they have the joint most home defeats and have conceded the most home goals so far this season.
I expect the side have had a little bit of confidence restored after losing just 2 of their last 5 Premier League games and picking up 7 points from the possible 15. Bolton drew their last home game 1-1 with Wolves, but they have lost 10 of their last 11 here in the Premier League going back to April 2011. They have conceded at least 2 goals in 8 of their 10 League games at home this season.
Jussi Jaaskelainan remains a doubt for Bolton, so Adam Bogdan could remain in goal after a very good performance at Manchester United last weekend. Ricardo Gardner is another major doubt, while Kevin Davies will be hoping his goal in the FA Cup on Tuesday will see him restored to the Premier League starting XI.
Liverpool
I would be very interested to hear what Liverpool fans really think of their season so far- they have put themselves in the driving seat for a place in the Carling Cup Final and potential silverware for the first time since 2006, while a Champions League place is still in touching distance. However, another home draw against one of the lesser sides in the Premier League was a major disappointment for them last week and questions about Andy Carroll's suitability continue to be asked.
Liverpool actually dropped down to 7th last Sunday as Newcastle United moved above them after a 1-0 win over QPR. The Reds are now 5 points behind Chelsea in the final Champions League spot, mainly thanks to their struggles at Anfield where they have drawn 7 of their 11 League games this season. It is telling that they have won more away games than at home, going 5-1-4 on their travels while scoring 10 goals and conceding 10.
While Liverpool have won Cup games against Manchester City and Oldham recently, they have won just 1 of their last 5 Premier League games going back to the middle of December. The team have won just 1 of their last 4 away games in the League, failing to even score in the other 3 games. Before these latest results, Liverpool had won 3 consecutive away League games, scoring 2 goals in each game.
Jay Spearing will need a late fitness test to determine his availability, while Luis Suarez continues his suspension.
Head to Head
Liverpool beat Bolton 3-1 at Anfield earlier this season, stretching their run to 10 consecutive wins against the Trotters in the Premier League.
In that time, they have won on 4 consecutive visits to the Reebok Stadium.
Prediction
I have had this thought in my head for a while, but this Liverpool side reminds me very much of the ones we saw during the Rafa Benitez era- they are very good in the most part when they come up against the very best teams in the League, but struggle mightily under the weight of expectation at Anfield when playing the lesser lights.
Liverpool have beaten Chelsea twice, Arsenal and Manchester City, while drawing with Manchester United, but have failed to beat Blackburn Rovers, Swansea and Wigan Athletic so this could be a tougher game for them than one may imagine initially.
However, Bolton Wanderers have been terrible at home for some time now and they will offer Liverpool chances to grab the 3 points. Add to the mix that Liverpool actually have more away wins than at Anfield and their recent record against Bolton, and I have to say I favour the away side to get the points on Saturday afternoon.
With Bolton conceding at least 2 goals in the majority of their home games this season, I am going to chance my arm that Liverpool cover the 1 goal Asian Handicap here.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Liverpool
