Bolton Wanderers vs. Blackburn Rovers Preview

Bolton Wanderers vs. Blackburn Rovers will be a tough and intense relegation six-pointer at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday March 24 with both clubs desperate to put daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

The two clubs were firmly locked in the drop zone at the time of the reverse fixture earlier in the season, a match which went the way of the Trotters much to the dismay of the Rovers supporters who were calling for manager Steve Kean’s head.

But the determined and dogged Blackburn boss has since dragged his side up to 16th in the table and now the aim will be to build upon the three point cushion that the club holds over QPR in 18th.

Rovers achieved major respite when beating Wolves 0-2 at Molineux, a vital win which was matched by Bolton who scraped a 2-1 success over QPR.

Those three points gave Bolton their first win in six games and they too will be going into this fixture confident of making further headway.

Many punters may well read too much into Bolton’s victory at Ewood Park when trying to select a winner here but more weight should be placed on what both teams have done since comparatively.

On the back of when the teams last met, it seemed as if Blackburn were the club who were really in crisis but they have since shown massive character to fight their way out of trouble.

And looking at the squads, it is hard to get away from the notion that Rovers have an edge on overall quality.

The sale of Christopher Samba may well have weakened the depth and class of Blackburn on paper; however it always appeared as if the want away man was causing disharmony to the side.

Now, evident from their last few performances, it looks as if Blackburn have really come together as a unit and they look the best bet to move away from danger.

Bolton do, nevertheless, have home advantage and as always that could prove to be crucial in such a tight, bottom of the table clash.

But home advantage in such situations also brings an extra pressure to the game and Blackburn will feel they can pounce – especially after recording that long awaited win on the road against Wolves.

As expected, the value is with the away side and Blackburn are a big 23/10 to claim the spoils.

There is not a lot to influence backers siding with Bolton at 13/10 which seems far too slender considering that they have only won three times all season at the Reebok.

Rovers have leaked goals away from home but in terms of scoring they have netted more times than any other club in the bottom eight and that is a stat which needs taking into account.

Coupled with Bolton’s inept defensive record which has seen them concede an average of two goals per home fixture, Blackburn can be taken to land a blow and move one step closer to Premier League safety.

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25/03/2012     © Frixo 2024