Premier League preview: Bolton v West Brom

Bolton Wanderers meet West Bromwich Albion in a battle between two of the English Premier League’s surprise entertainers on Sunday.

While West Brom gained promotion from the Championship in a positive fashion last season, they were tipped to struggle in the top flight.

But they have defied expectations under Roberto Di Matteo to sit 11th in the table, with a 3-2 win over Arsenal and a credible 2-2 draw against Manchester United – both away from home – among the highlights.

They went down 2-1 away to local rivals Aston Villa on December 12 and were denied the opportunity to hit back when another derby against Wolverhampton Wanderers succumbed to Northern Europe’s cold snap.

Bolton have undergone a transformation into a genuinely entertaining team under Owen Coyle and are riding high in seventh place.

They lost 1-0 away to Sunderland in one of only two matches to go ahead last week but will be confident of bouncing back at the first time of asking at the Reebok Stadium.

Coyle will be without long-term absentees Jlloyd Samuel, Sean Davis, Ricardo Gardner and Joey O’Brien but has no new injuries to contend with.

Swedish defender Jonas Olsson is still out for West Brom, but frontman Peter Odemwingie – who missed the defeat against Villa – is expected to return.

Di Matteo will also be hoping that midfielder Graham Dorrans can shake off a bout of illness.

Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander will pose a considerable threat to the West Brom backline, while Bolton’s central pairing of Stuart Holden and Fabrice Muamba will go some way to securing three points if they succeed in shackling creative midfielder Chris Brunt.