Bolton Wanderers vs Middlesbrough
Date: September 9th, 2017
Kickoff: 15:00 UK/16:00 CET
Venue: Macron Stadium
Bolton Wanderers host Middlesbrough in the first set of Championship games after the international break. Both sides will be desperate for a win from this game but for very different reasons. Bolton are without a win in the Championship this season but could move as high as 17th in the league if results go their way.
Middlesbrough, on the other hand, will be looking to redeem themselves after two back to back awful performances in the league. A win for them could see them move up to 4th place.
Bolton
Bolton finished second in League One last season earning automatic promotion to the Championship along with Sheffield United. However, unlike United, Bolton’s season has got off to a horrible start.
Going into the Middlesbrough game Bolton are bottom of the Championship. They have drawn twice and lost three times. They have also scored just four goals. This is the same number of goals scored as their opponents, Boro. But unlike Boro, Bolton’s defence has been shocking. They have conceded 10 goals already this season and in their last game received a 4-0 thrashing from Hull City.
Bolton look set for a tough season in the Championship and will be very sceptical about if they can actually get anything out of the Boro game. The only positive for Bolton is Boro have a terrible away record. So, an upset could be on the cards.
Injury news: Josh Cullen was taken off in Bolton’s last match against Hull City due to injury and could miss the Boro game. Jem Karacan was also subbed off in that game and will miss the Boro game.
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough will be going into this game hoping for a much better showing than their last outing. Before the international break, Middlesbrough drew 0-0 with Preston North End in a lack lustre match. Garry Monk got his tactics very wrong for this game and it cost Boro.
Monk decided to start out with a three/five at the back against Preston despite having success in previous games with a 4-1-2-1-2/4-1-2-3 variant. The three at the back did not work for Boro. They struggled to get going, as seems to be the Boro way this season and eventually Monk decided to switch to a 4-4-2. This was another tactical blunder as it saw Boro playing Fabio, a left back, at left midfield and Lewis Baker, a centre mid, at right midfield. This change further hindered Middlesbrough’s chances of winning the game. By the time Monk did switch back to Boro’s preferred system, it was too late.
So, Monk will be hoping to use this game against bottom of the league Bolton to restore both the players and the fans faiths by picking up their third win of the season.
However, that may prove easier said than done as so far this season Boro have not won an away game. In fact, the last time Boro won a competitive away game was in August 2016. They beat Sunderland 2-1 in their second game back in the Premier League.
Injury news: Martin Braithwaite has resumed light training. But the Bolton trip will come too soon for the forward. Ruddy Gestede has had a small operation due to a dead leg. His return date is unknown.
Head to head
The two sides have met a total of 125 times. Middlesbrough have won 43 and Bolton 51. The reaming 31 matches ended in draws.
Last time the two sides met was April 2016. Boro won 2-1 with Jordan Rhodes scoring both their goals. Josh Vela scored for Bolton.
Bolton have not beaten Middlesbrough since 2013. The two sides have met six times since then with Boro winning five and drawing one.
Predicted line-ups
Bolton XI: Howard, Taylor, Beevers, Dervite, Burke, Morais, Buckley, Le Fondre, Pratley, Madine, Armstrong
Middlesbrough XI: Randolph, Christie, Fry, Gibson, Friend, Clayton, Baker, Howson, Bamford, Assombalonga, Johnson.
Recent form
Bolton: L D D L L
Middlesbrough: L W W L D
Prediction
Middlesbrough have been in a poor run of form recently and have not won an away game in over a year. However, Bolton are also really struggling since being promoted from League One.
This game, in reality, should be a clear win for Boro. But given how they perform away and how they played against Preston, it will be much harder than many Boro fans are anticipating.
Despite this, Boro should still come away with a win. Just not the likes of a 4-0 victory that Hull City dealt to Bolton in their last encounter.
Final score prediction: 1-0 Middlesbrough
Odds
Bolton: 3/1
Draw: 23/10
Middlesbrough: 19/20
