Premier League preview: Arsenal v Bolton

Arsenal and Bolton will head into their meeting at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday on the back of morale-boosting Carling Cup wins.

The victories in the third round of the Cup competition were desperately needed after disastrous starts to the season for both clubs, who sit in the bottom four on the English Premier League table.

Arsenal’s shock 4-3 loss to Blackburn on Saturday saw them drop to 17th, with just four points from five matches, having conceded 14 goals along the way – the most in the division.

The Ewood Park defeat summarised just about everything that is wrong with Arsene Wenger’s team at the moment, with the lack of defensive stability, communication and ability to cope with pressure most concerning.

Arsenal’s 8-2 loss to Manchester United earlier in the season looks to have dented the confidence of the players significantly and they will need to be on top of their game to contain a Bolton side who have scored eight goals this season, which sees them behind only Sir Alex Ferguson’s men and their rivals Manchester City.

But Wenger’s team did win on Tuesday night, avoiding a shock of gigantic proportions when they came from behind to defeat League Two outfit Shrewsbury Town 3-1, thanks to goals from Kieran Gibbs, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Yossi Benayoun.

Teenager Oxlade-Chamberlain represented Arsenal’s biggest spending in the transfer market with the winger costing an upfront fee of 12 million pounds, potentially rising to 15, and his performance would have encouraged those disgruntled Gunners fans.

But it is going to take a lot more than an 18-year-old to appease Arsenal’s support, who are growing tired of the same mistakes being repeated by the team.

Bolton have also conceded lots of goals this season, with their 13 being the second-worst defensive record in the league and the Wanderers sit 19th on the table, with only West Bromwich Albion below them.

An exceptionally disappointing 2-1 loss to Norwich City at home was Bolton’s last Premier League appearance, although they went some way to making up for that defeat with a 2-0 win at Aston Villa on Tuesday.

The manner of Bolton’s performance was impressive, with new arrivals Chris Eagles and Gael Kakuta (loan) both finding the back of the net in a result which will give Owen Coyle hope his side can turn around their poor start to the season.

The Wanderers have Lee Chung-Yong and Tyrone Mears sidelined indefinitely as they recover from broken legs, while Sean Davis (knee), Sam Ricketts (calf) and Marcos Alonso (metatarsal fracture) are all some way from returning.

Arsenal will be without Thomas Vermaelen (Achilles), Sebastian Squillaci (calf), Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere (ankle) for the match, which is shaping as pivotal in their season.