Prediction: Bolton vs Aston Villa

4th March 2011

Bolton climbed to seventh place as they held Newcastle United to 1:1 draw at St James Park, with Trotters now hoping to return to winning ways against Aston Villa. Villa boss Gerard Houllier sacrificed team’s FA Cup campaign in order to keep his players fresh for this match and we are yet to see whether this tactic will pay off.

Bolton have managed to recover from a dip in form midway through the season that saw them notch up few very poor results in a row, but the good thing is the Trotters are back in business. After winning three straight games, two of which were away wins in the FA Cup, Bolton managed to bring one point to St James Park, again thanks to Daniel Sturridge, who cannot seem to stop scoring. Owen Coyle’s side now have a good chance to continue the good run of results as they had full week to prepare for the Villa game, unlike their opponents, who were in action in midweek. After winning their last two home games, the Trotters have every reason to feel optimistic before the Villa clash, especially with visitors experiencing numerous selection problems. Owen Coyle, on the other hand, has no fresh injury worries, while Gretar Steinsson could finally make his return from the lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Gerard Houllier was heavily criticized for his decision to rest most of his starters in the FA Cup clash with Manchester City and that could easily come back to haunt him. Rather than trying to keep the good spirit in the squad by recording another good result, the French boss wanted to keep his players fresh for the Bolton game, which doesn’t have to mean Villa will have the upper hand at Reebok. A heavy defeat at Eastlands is likely to have a negative effect on the players’ confidence, as a result of which the Villans could struggle to match high-flying Bolton. To make matters worse, Houllier faces a real selection headache with Richard Dunne, Carlos Cuellar and Jean II Makoun all unavailable. Nathan Baker and James Collins remain injury doubts, meaning that the back line will be severely weakened at Reebok. Add to that the fact that Villa lost 8 out of 14 away games this season and you will see why Bolton are considered favourites in this tie.

Conclusion

Bolton continued the rich vein of form by picking up one point against Newcastle and the Trotters look ready for yet another home win. Villa have major problems on the travels and will be missing a number of important defenders at Reebok, so they are unlikely to get anything from this match.

Verdict: Home win Bolton (1)

Best Odds: 13/10

Bookmaker: Paddy Power