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The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Bolton come into this year

Very much a non-event in terms of the fact nothing is riding on this match & to be fair only the hardcore fans of Bolton & Birmingham City are likely to be interested in this contest.

Bolton have had a terrible season, scraping safety primarily thanks to the failings of others as much as their own quality & Owen Coyle knows he faces a major task to get Bolton climbing the Premier League ladder again.

Bolton have got excellent players with the Kevin Davies, Gary Cahill, Matthew Taylor, & Ivan Klasnic definite Premier League class and good enough for teams in the top 10 but the honest truth is that is it in terms of quality within the Bolton squad & their lies the problem & the reason for their failings.

Bolton have lost more home games than they have won this season & clearly that is a key area for Owen Coyle to focus on for next season and indeed take a lesson from the excellent job Alex McCleish has done at Birmingham City.

Owen Coyle will want to finish with a win to give the Bolton fans hope & they are capable at their best but Birmingham City have been tough to play all season & are likely to prove that way again so a draw may well be a good result for Bolton in the end.

Alex McCleish deserves tremendous praise for the job he has done this season taking Birmingham City to finish 9th & we expect Birmingham City to finish the season showing the determination, character, organisation & team spirit that has carried them all through the season.

A draw in this match will absolutely guarantee that Birmimgham City finish 9th & we certainly expect Birmingham City to approach this game seriously with the mindset of being organised, hard to beat & certainly a draw looks well within their capabilities although goalscoring is a weakness that needs to be addressed.

A game purely for the fans of either side this one because we don’t see Bolton & Birmingham City serving up a classic with flowing football & it’s more likely to be a case of Bolton trying to break down Birmingham City without being quite good enough to do so & a low scoring draw looks a value bet worth taking here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: DRAW

Correct Score options: 0-0/1-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Davies/Taylor/Jerome

Double Result: DRAW H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Tottenham have only failed to score on one occasion whilst Bolton turned both of their victories into

Tottenham are chasing 4th place & the Champions League, Bolton are safe & nothing to play for and so that should decide this match.
Sounds simplistic & probably dismissive of Bolton but the bookmakers offers of 1/4 for Tottenham to win this suggest we are spot on & that Bolton have little hope in this one as Tottenham chase the dream that is very close to becoming reality.

In their last two home matches, Tottenham were way too strong & good for both Arsenal & Chelsea so they will have no fear about facing a Bolton side whom they beat 4-0 in the F.A. Cup.

Harry Redknapp has done a fantastic job at Tottenham & achieving 4th place & the Champions League would be an incredible achievement given they were bottom when he took over last year & to be fair to Tottenham they do deserve to finish 4th having been there so long.

Owen Coyle has achieved his first task of keeping Bolton safe & that now gives him the opportunity to get the players he wants & get Bolton playing the way he wants to play but in terms of this season, their work looks finished & it is hard to envisage them to doing too much here.

Tottenham have to win this match & we think they are an absolutely rock solid bet to do so with Defoe & Crouch looking for the goals that will cement their place at the World Cup and they can guide Tottenham towards another massive three points here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match result: Tottenham to win

Correct Score options: Tottenham to win 2-0/3-0

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Defoe/Crouch/Modric

Scorecast options: Defoe/Crouch/Modric score 1st & Tottenham win 2-0/3-0

Double Result: Tottenham H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

All six victories achieved by both teams were gained by a single goal margin, whilst we still await the first drawn game. Just twelve goals have been scored in total with both teams failing to find the net on two occasions. Doubles: Bolton 1—-Portsmouth 1

MARKET:

Bolton: 4 wins–Draws: 0–Portsmouth: 2 wins (goal difference: 7/5)

MARKET: Correct Score

2 x 1-0 & 2 x 0-1

MARKET: First team to score

Bolton: 3—-Portsmouth: 3

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 0—-Odd: 6

This is not really a game to get too excited about because Bolton are virtually safe & Portsmouth were relegated long ago so nothing at stake apart from the pride of the players on the day.
Bolton pulled off a truly massive win last weekend by coming from behind to beat Stoke City away late on & that victory virtually guaranteed Bolton’s survival in the Premier League once more & that really does take the pressure off for the rest of the season.

Owen Coyle’s first objective was to make Bolton safe & the 2nd objective was to change the style of play to a more open, positive style of football and that can now become the focus for the remainder of the season starting with this match.

The Bolton players will come into this game against Portsmouth with tremendous confidence gained from that victory over Stoke City & we really do expect them to have a real go at Portsmouth & give the home fans a reason to cheer at last & indeed something to look forward to next season for.

Portsmouth deserve credit for the way they have handled themselves on the pitch but the focus of the players now lies on the F.A. Cup & it is hard to see them getting themselves motivated for this game at Bolton & also very hard to see them having enough to get a result on the day.

Nobody apart from the fans of Bolton & Portsmouth will be interested in this game and we don’t expect it to be a footballing classic but Bolton do look a good bet to win it with the likes of Kevin Davies & Matthew Taylor to lead the way for them.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Bolton to win

Correct Score options: Bolton to win 2-0/3-0

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Davies/Taylor/Wilshire

Scorecast options: Davies/Taylor/Wilshire score 1st & Bolton win 2-0/3-0

Double Result: Bolton H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Last year’s inaugural Premier match between these two teams ended in a 2-0 victory for Stoke, the home team having led 1-0 at half time. The reverse fixture earlier this season ended in a 1-1 draw. All time league record: Stoke: 28–Draws: 18–Bolton: 29

MARKET:

Stoke: 1 win–Draws: 0–Bolton: No wins (goal difference:2-0)

MARKET: Correct Score

1 x 2-0

MARKET: First team to score

Stoke: 1—-Bolton: 0

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 1—-Odd: 0

Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium is a tough task for any side & Bolton need one more win to be safe so this looks set to be a tough, physically demanding & fully committed battle and indeed a close one to call.
Stoke City are safe again which is another fantastic achievement but Tony Pulis wants to finish the season strongly & earn a top 10 finish so he will certainly have Stoke City players up for this & the Stoke City fans will have the Britannia Stadium rocking as well.

7 points from their last 3 matches shows Stoke City are in good, confident form & their 2-0 win in their last home win showed how strong they are at home so we are expecting another motivated, committed performance from Stoke City & they will certainly believe they can win this.

The negative for Tony Pulis is that several of his key players have injuries & whether they make the game or not will have a big impact on the result and so it might well end up being a case of protecting what you have with Stoke City & avoiding defeat could well be the first, more realist target.

Bolton need 1 more win to just about guarantee their Premier League status so clearly the pressure is on Owen Coyle & his players to get results & particularly in this one as they will view this as an opportunity to get something although winning will be tough.

Bolton showed great character & a fair level of ability to compete very well against Chelsea in midweek & were unfortunate in many ways not to get a result so they know they have what is required to go to Stoke City & get a positive result if they play to their best.

A key feature of this match is likely to be the physical element of both sides as both Stoke City & Bolton carry their main goalscoring threat from set-pieces & a big importance will be placed on defensive organisation & strength in this one.

This is another match were the result is everything & the styles of both Stoke City & Bolton suggest this will prove to be a tough, competitive & indeed physical battle which can go either way but a low scoring draw looks the most tempting, best value option & indeed looks a bet worth taking here.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: DRAW

Correct Score options: 0-0/1-1

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Davies/Taylor/Elmander

Double Result: BOLTON H/T & F/T

It is amazing how events change so quickly in football & Chelsea now find themselves in pole position to win the Premier League & this match represents a major step towards achieving that goal.
Obviously Owen Coyle & his Bolton players will want to have their say in this match & they need the points as much as Chelsea but the match odds of 1/6 Chelsea & 14/1 Bolton indicate how most people view this match will go.

Chelsea & Bolton have met 21 times in the Premier League, with Chelsea winning 13 & 5 draws leaving Bolton with a return of 3 wins and those statistics & indeed relative strength of squads are what those are based on.

Chelsea are finishing the season strongly with tremendous momentum & confidence with excellent league wins over Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Manchester United & Aston Villa again in the F.A. Cup with an incredible return of 17 goals from those games.

Chelsea also have an incredible home league record which reads 14 wins, 1 draw & only 1 defeat so far and to be very honest it will be a major surprise if the figure of wins does not change to 15 here.

Bolton will go to Chelsea & compete and certainly under Owen Coyle they are playing a more open, passing style and they are more entertaining to watch but they will have to play at their very, very best to even get a draw at Chelsea and that looks doubtful.

Bolton have been terrible away from home, with only 3 wins from 16 and over 30 goals conceded with an average of 2 conceded in every away match so they know they will be really up against it here.

Matches between Chelsea & Bolton usually provide competitive entertainment & this looks likely to be just the same but the outcome of there games usually sees a win for Chelsea & we cannot oppose Chelsea here in this one.

This match is Chelsea’s big chance to stretch their lead at the top of table to 4 points & they do look an absolutely rock solid bet to win comfortably with Lampard & Drogba looking to punish Bolton once again.

Betting Recommendations:

Outright Match Result: Chelsea to win

Correct Score options: Chelesea to win 2-0/3-0

First Goalscorer each way/Player to score anytime: Lampard/Drogba/Malouda

Scorecast options: Lampard/Drogba/Malouda score 1st & Chelsea win 2-0/3-0

Double Result: Chelsea H/T & F/T

The match stats below are compiled with major football betting markets in mind. They are presented as facts without recommendation, allowing you to spot trends and decide whether they have relevance as betting opportunities. Click any ‘Bet Now’ button to see a bet slip from that bookmaker.

NARRATIVE:

Both Drogba and Lampard have scored four goals in recent years whilst Chelsea have scored at least one goal in all ten matches to date. To their credit, Bolton have scored in each of the last six matches played at Stamford Bridge. Doubles: Chelsea 2—-Bolton 0

MARKET:

Chelsea: 6 wins–Draws: 3–Bolton: 1 win (goal difference: 26-14)

MARKET: Correct Score

2 x 5-1 & 2 x 2-2

MARKET: First team to score

Chelsea: 6—-Bolton: 4

MARKET: Even or odd total of goals:

Even: 6—-Odd: 4