Middlesbrough v Bolton: Megson Makes his Point Against Boro Draw Specialists?
The Trotters home win over West Ham last week has given Gary Megson’s side real hope of avoiding the drop but with this match being 1 of 3 remaining away games they still look destined for the drop.
Bolton have to travel to Boro, Tottenham and Chelsea as well as entertain Sunderland in their last 4 fixtures so can’t afford not to pick up any points from this Premier 10 encounter. Unfortunately for Bolton, they don’t usually do so well at the Riverside.Trotters Record Not so Rosy at the Riverside.
The Trotters need points and they need them fast with Birmingham in sight and Fulham creeping up behind them. However, trips to the Riverside in recent seasons have generally been fruitless. Bolton have not actually won on Teesside since 1996 when they thrashed Boro 4-1 when one hit wonders Babylon Zoo were number 1 with ‘Spaceman’. It’s highly unlikely Megson’s team can repeat that 4-goal feat this weekend as it’s taken them the last seven games to actually score 4 goals. The Trotters have failed to win at Middlesbrough in their last 6 visits (4 defeats), this includes high-scoring back to back defeats in the last 2 encounters (4-3 and 5-1). In fact, Bolton haven’t beaten Boro home or away in the last 5 years (3 defeats & 5 draws). Their last success came at the Reebok in September 2003 when Bruno N’Gotty and Kevin Davies scored in a 2-0 win. Unfortunately there won’t be any scoring repeat from Davies this time out as he is suspended.
Bolton Back from the Brink
Life is far rosier in Bolton this week after they finally ended their 8-match winless run with success over the ‘looking forward to the holidays’ Hammers. The odds remain against their hopes of survival with such a tough final run in. The loss of Davies to suspension for this match and the next at White Hart Lane could be the defining moment of the Trotters poor season. Ok, so big Kev has hardly been in the most prolific of form this season after scoring just 3 goals in 30 matches but the human battering ram is one of the few players in the Trotters squad who creates chances for others. Emile Heskey has won countless caps on the ability to do just that, so Davies is unfortunate not to won a few himself. His possible striking replacements are likely to be loan-signing Grzegorz Rasiak or Heidar Helguson, both poor equivalents of the Englishman. If Bolton were struggling for goals before, then the situation just got a hell of a lot worse. After all, they’d only scored in 2 of the last 7 matches in all competitions. In fact, their away scoring record is even more abysmal with only Derby scoring less than their 10 goals. It’s not just their away goals tally that’s a problem as they’ve also lost the last 4 on their travels, conceding 11 goals in the process. If Bolton want to remain in this division they will need to improve on that statistic starting this weekend.
Boro Mix it with the Big Boys
Boro have faced 4 of the country’s biggest sides in their last 5 matches yet have only lost once. They’ve faced Arsenal (a), Chelsea (a), Manchester Utd (h) and Tottenham (a) with a home win against Derby sandwiched in the middle. The fact that only Chelsea could beat them is testament to the improving nature of Gareth Southgate’s side especially as the Blues were rather fortunate themselves. Middlesbrough are one of the division’s draw specialists after sharing a point on 12 occasions this season (same as Liverpool, Blackburn and Fulham). They are not high scorers and haven’t won a home match by more than a 1-goal margin since September so expect this to be a tight affair.
Boro are the team in form but Bolton have more resting on this match so I would back the draw. The Trotters will be lifted by last weekend’s win and Boro only managed to beat Derby 1-0 at home in late March which illustrates that they don’t usually beat anyone comfortably. Therefore back the spoils to be shared on Premier 10.
Pundit’s Pick: Boro & Bolton Bore Draw (draw) Do you agree with this result for your Premier 10 prediction? Play Now>>
Tags: Bolton, Boro, Middlesbrough, Premier 10 preview, Premier League, Trotters
