Bolton come into the double gameweek with their tail firmly between their legs following last Sunday’s 5-0 mauling by Stoke in the FA Cup Semi Final. With the club sitting on 43 points in the Premier League, they are safe from the perils of relegation yet find European qualification just out of reach, and it’s tricky to second-guess just how they will react to such a heavy defeat.
When weighing up the acquisition of their players, there are two schools of thought ahead of the weekend kick-off; the first says morale will be low and, having performed so poorly under the nation’s gaze, the Trotters will find it difficult to pick themselves up. The second, however, can be found in the words of Owen Coyle, speaking directly after the weekend game at Wembley:
”What we don’t want is to have this impact our season because we’ve been terrific up to this point and they’ve earned their right to be here. We’ve played well below what we’re capable of, but we must pick ourselves up for the final six games of the season. We’re in a good position in the league and we want to finish strongly.”
Either way, Bolton have their work cut out as they square up to a pair of tricky fixture that sees them host Arsenal before travelling to Fulham.
The Prospects
Coyle’s side take on Arsenal at the Reebok and with The Gunners pretty much out of the title race barring a minor miracle, both sides will be looking for a pick-me-up. Arsenal have the best away record in the division this term but Bolton have been impressive at home of late, winning their last four in a row, chalking up three clean sheets in the process.
The second game of the double is no easy task, either. Fulham’s home form has been exceptional since the turn of the year; five wins and a draw in six games -with five clean sheets thrown in for good measure- makes Craven Cottage a fortress for Mark Hughes’ side. Bolton’s away form has been truly woeful for a considerable time, now; they have lost eight of their last nine on the road, failing to score on five occasions and never scoring more than once.
The Likely Lads
Realistically, defensive returns look unlikely this weekend; Arsenal should score at least once and with Bolton having to record a single clean sheet on the road this season, Craven Cottage hardly inspires confidence in breaking that duck. Gary Cahill has picked up Bonus Points in each of his last four home games and with his eye for goal, looks the one to plump for at the back.
Martin Petrov has established himself in the Trotters starting XI following a stop-start season and has returned three assists in his last four games – he looks a stronger midfield proposition than the previously fancied Chung-Yong Lee. With six goals in eight games during his loan spell, Daniel Sturridge has been the star of the show for Bolton and was sorely missed in the Stoke defeat, due to being cup-tied. At 5.3, he’s a great cut-price option and, given their next three fixtures are arguably against the most out-of-form sides in the top-flight right now (bla, SUN, blp), investment now may set Fantasy Managers up for the next few gameweeks beyond this double.
Cheeky Punts
A glance at the top-scoring forwards in FPL will show that both Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies sit in the top ten. With one goal in thirteen and eighteen games respectively, however, it’s understating the matter to say that they are both out of sorts right now, with much of these points racked up in the first few months of the season. This recent form suggests selecting either of the pair would be no more than a punt.
Due to the outstanding displays of Daniel Sturridge, Owen Coyle seems to favour Elmander in a midfield role right now, and although this has limited his returns, the Swede has picked up two assists and four Bonus Points in his last five games.
Davies’ recent returns are one assist and 2 Bonus Points in his last two games but with his spot-kick duties still intact and tendency to impress the Bonus judges (he is sixth-top forward for Bonus) he may well find himself amongst the points.
