RSS
|
It is now crunch time for Bolton Wanderers as they host West Ham at the Reebok on Saturday. Wanderers are without a win in eight league games and come into the game on the back of a 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa. A group of supporters are expected to hold a protest prior to the match as they have lost all confidence in manager Gary Megson and chairman Phil Gartside after a poor season. The Trotters are currently four points adrift of safety and with only five games to go, they must start to pick up victories before it is too late. Captain Kevin Nolan is set to return to the side after missing the last two games through suspension, although a back injury would have kept him out of those games anyway. Ivan Campo is also set to return, taking the place of Joey O'Brien who picked up a reoccurance of a hamstring injury at Villa Park. Ali Al-Habsi will continue in goal as Jussi Jaaskelainen continues to recover from the back injury which has ended his season prematurely. Ricardo Gardner is out with a broken rib, joining Nicky Hunt on the sidelines who continues to receive treatment for a dislocated shoulder picked up two weeks ago. West Ham come into the game on the back of a 1-0 home defeat to Portsmouth in midweek, with manager Alan Curbishley facing a huge selection problem. No fewer than 10 Hammers players find themselves on the treatment table, with Freddie Ljungberg, Lee Bowyer and Craig Bellamy the biggest blows for Curbishley. Danny Gabbidon, Matthew Etherington, Julien Faubert, James Collins, Nigel Quashie and Calum Davenport also miss the game through injury, which may give some youngsters the chance to shine at the Reebok. Long-term injury absentee Kieron Dyer is suffering from complications after missing most of the season with a broken leg and is unlikely to return before the season's climax. Midfielder Mark Noble is a doubt for the trip, with Wales Under-21 international Jack Collison on stand-by for his first senior start. Right-back Lucas Neill who continues to struggle with an ankle knock, which could pave the way for Jonathan Spector or John Pantsil to return to the side. Despite all their injury troubles, there is some good news for the visitors, which is Matthew Upson's return to fitness after a calf injury. Bolton will surely be confident of getting a result, having scored in their last 10 games against the Hammers and losing just one of the last seven meetings. Squads: Bolton Wanderers: from: Al Habsi, Steinsson, Cahill, A O'Brien, Taylor, Guthrie, McCann, Nolan, Davies, Helguson, Diouf, Campo, Cohen, Samuel, Giannakopoulos, Rasiak, Alonso, Fojut, Walker. West Ham United: from: Green, Walker, Neill, Pantsil, Spector, Upson, Ferdinand, Tomkins, McCartney, Solano, Collison, Boa Morte, Mullins, Parker, Noble, Collison, Ashton, Cole, Zamora, Sears. Referee: Peter Walton Burnden Aces prediction: 1-1 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||