Manchester United v Bolton Preview

United should have enough to see off Wanderers

Manchester United v Bolton Wanderers Preview:

Premier League: Saturday, 14 January 2012 3pm

Author: Thomas Rooney 11/01/2012

Manchester United will be looking to build on their epic FA Cup victory against rivals Manchester City when they take on Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford this weekend.

After all, even if the win over City was more than welcome, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men need to get back on track in the Premier League.

They have lost their last two league games of course – at the hands of Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United – something which has led them to trail City by three points in the race for the title.

Perhaps the win over City can act as the start of a new chapter for the Red Devils as far as this season is concerned. It was a massive win in terms of the character they had to show and they would love to continue the habit of getting one over their fierce rivals.

They do still have their injury problems though, no doubt about that. The list of players suffering knocks recently is too long to mention, but the likes of Tom Cleverly, Nemanja Vidic and Darren Fletcher are all out for a while yet.

This is perhaps why Paul Scholes was convinced to come out of retirement. He will now play for the remainder of the season as Ferguson looks to boost his midfield options.

How often the former England man will take to the pitch remains to be seen, but if called upon, it seems likely that he will do a sufficient job for the Premier League Champions.

As for this weekend’s game, United should be more than focused. Perhaps they took their eye of the ball slightly when playing Blackburn in their last home game, but this weekend, against another relegation threatened side, they will be determined to get the job done.

As for Owen Coyle’s men, well this is the first in a tough run of fixtures for them. After the trip to Old Trafford, they face Liverpool and Arsenal at home. This run of games can be looked at it two ways.

On the one hand, it is a far from ideal set of fixtures for a team that is in the relegation zone as things stand. Having said that, a victory in any of these games could turn their season around.

It should be considered as a possibility too. They managed a crucial 2-1 win against Everton last time out in the Premier League and after being written off by many, they are only a point away from safety going into this one.

They are set to suffer the loss of Gary Cahill to Chelsea, but confidence wise, Bolton are more positive now than they have been all season.

This doesn’t mean they will get the points at Old Trafford – United should have more than enough – but it does mean they can give their hosts a good game and take this into what could be a productive few weeks in the race for survival.

Match bet: Manchester United on the Asian Handicap -2,-2.5 @ 2.100 with Bet365 - (Ł200 free bets)

Correct score prediction: Manchester United 3:1 Bolton Wanderers @ 8/1 with BoyleSports - (Ł20 free bet)