Premier League preview: Bolton v Manchester City

Manchester City’s bid to win their first ever English Premier League title will face their first real hurdle at Bolton on Sunday.

City opened their season against Swansea City on Monday, and Roberto Mancini’s side cruised to a 4-0 win against the newcomers.

Much of the attention surrounded new signing Sergio Aguero’s performance. The Argentine netting a double after coming off the bench, with one of his strikes particularly eye-catching.

David Silva was also terrific, but City’s first real challenge comes on the road at the Reebok Stadium.

There they will face a Bolton Wanderers side who are coming off a 4-0 success of their own, with Owen Coyle’s men spoiling QPR’s Premier League return at Loftus Road.

Defender Gary Cahill scored a wonderful goal in that victory and has been the subject of interest from Arsenal, while Croatian striker Ivan Klasnic was also on the scoresheet.

Bolton lost Johan Elmander on a free transfer to Galatasaray and saw Daniel Sturridge return to Chelsea when his loan-deal expired during the off-season, meaning the club are short on strike power.

That means Klasnic’s season will be crucial and he needs to form an effective partnership with Kevin Davies if Bolton are to remain clear of the wrong end of the table.

Wanderers will face a much sterner test against Manchester City than what QPR could offer, and they will need to be at their best at the back to keep the likes of Aguero, Silva and Edin Dzeko quiet.

City have no real injury concerns and can attack the game at full-strength, while Bolton are without several regulars, with broken-leg victims Tyrone Mears and Lee Chung-Yong out for some time.

Stuart Holden and Sean Davis (knee) will also both miss the Wanderers, while defender Sam Ricketts is some chance to return from calf injury.

Despite the differences in quality between the two squads, winning away in the Premier League is not easy and Mancini’s men will need to be at least close to their best to make it two wins from as many matches.