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Saturday, 10 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Bolton v Aston Villa, 15:00
Author: Thomas Rooney 06/12/2011
Two teams sitting lower than they would like in the Premier League table meet this weekend as relegation threatened Bolton Wanderers take on an Aston Villa side that are yet to win on the road this season.
Looking at Bolton to begin with, it is fair to say that it has been a far from enjoyable season so far. There have been some good moments – the 4-0 win at Queens Park Rangers and the 5-0 hammering of Stoke City for example – but this has been far outweighed by negative results and below-par performances.
A good way to highlight how Bolton’s season has gone so far – and why they sit two points adrift of safety in 19th – is to look at the results which followed the impressive wins mentioned above.
After winning 4-0 at QPR on the opening day of the season, they lost six Premier League games in a row before picking up a valuable win at bottom of the table Wigan Athletic.
Two more defeats followed – to Sunderland and Swansea no less – before the emphatic 5-0 win over Stoke City. This win was mentioned as the turning point for them and the moment their season would turn around.
Well, this hasn’t been the case. Since hammering the Potters, they have lost at West Brom, at home to Everton and away at high-flying Tottenham. Once again, they need to stop the rot.
Perhaps more importantly, they have to show their home supporters that they are capable of turning things around. The win over Stoke is their only success at the Reebok Stadium this year and they have lost their other six home games. If they are to stay up – which has to be their main aim right now – this must improve.
If Bolton are to beat anyone at home though, it could be Aston Villa. As much as Wanderers have struggled at home, Villa have been arguably worse on the road. In seven Premier League away games, they have drawn five and lost two.
The 2-0 defeat at Tottenham was particularly worrying for Alex McLeish’s men. Quite simply, they provided no threat and Spurs could have easily won by more. In truth though, they were quite prepared to conserve some energy against a Villa side that didn’t cause them any problems.
A telling stat for Villa – other than the fact that they have only scored six goals on the road this season – is the fact that Darren Bent has had fewer touches than any other forward in the Premier League this campaign.
This perhaps indicates that they are not creating enough from midfield, which would make sense when you consider that they lost the services of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing in the summer.
They are still 9th in the table though and there are plenty of teams – including Bolton – with more to worry about than them. However, the Villa fans want to see more and a positive December would be a massive boost for the whole club.
With the confidence of both teams somewhat fragile, it seems difficult to choose between these two sides and with this in mind, a score draw is the way to go.
Football betting tip: Draw @ 23/10 with Bet365 - (£200 extra on your deposit)
Correct score prediction: Bolton 1:1 Aston Villa @ 7.2 with Betfair
Watch our Football Video Podcast on the Bolton v Aston Villa match by Thomas Rooney and Pete South including their predictions.