West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers
Barclays Premier League
Sunday 5 October, 2008
The Boleyn Ground, Upton Park
1.30pm Kick-Off
The Wanderers head to East London on Sunday afternoon for Sky's televised match, looking to build on encouraging performances against Arsenal and Manchester United over the past fortnight.
Although Bolton have returned pointless from those two games, the signs are there that the five-game winless streak in the league is about to come to an end.
However, the Hammers will be stern opposition and are a team that will be buoyed having registered two back-to-back Premier League victories since Gianfranco Zola took charge.
Historically there have been 60 meetings between the two teams, with Bolton holding the edge having registered 28 victories since the first game, which was the 1923 FA Cup Final. West Ham have 22 wins while there have been ten draws.
The last time Bolton took three points from a trip to Upton Park was in August 2005 when Kevin Nolan and Ivan Campo got on the scoresheet in a 2-1 victory.
Team News
Gary Megson's squad is looking rather strong compared to recent weeks, with no major injury doubts ahead of the game. Matthew Taylor has another week's worth of training under his belt and could be recalled to the starting line-up after residing on the substitutes' bench for the match at Old Trafford.
However if the Bolton manager decides to stick with the same starting eleven from last weekend, then Johan Elmander will make his fourth competitive start for the club.
As for West Ham, Craig Bellamy could be given his first start of the season following an impressive run-out at Craven Cottage last week. If Zola opts against the inclusion of the Welshman then Carlton Cole and David Di Michele will spearhead the Hammers' attack.
James Collins came through a tough reserve work-out against West Bromwich Albion in midweek, but this game is likely to come too soon for the defender following his recovery from a long-term knee injury.
Key Player - David Di Michele
The experienced Italian is a household name back in his native country, but few in England would have heard of the striker prior to his loan move to West Ham at the end of the transfer window.
However, since his temporary switch to the Hammers, the 32-year-old is starting to come to prominence, with his two goals against Newcastle United going a long way to developing relations with the club's supporters.
The neat, tricky attacker is not too dissimilar in playing style to that of his manager Gianfranco Zola, and again has an impressive track record to match. With six caps to his name, Di Michele also possesses a wealth of experience with over 400 competitive matches under his belt at high profile clubs such as Udinese, Palermo, Torino and Reggina.
Manager - Gianfranco Zola
The 42-year-old was appointed midway through last month following the resignation of the previous boss Alan Curbishley, who had decided to part company with the club following a disagreement with the board over 'significant player decisions'.
After three games in command, the likeable Italian is still in his honeymoon period at Upton Park following two league wins against Newcastle and Fulham, although a Carling Cup exit away at Watford slightly tarnishes his record.
Zola is relatively new to the management game, having only previously worked in the Italian U21 set-up alongside his former Chelsea colleague Pierluigi Casiraghi for a couple of years.
His movement into the coaching side of the game follows a highly distinguished playing career in both Italy, England and on the international stage.
After spells at Napoli and Parma, Zola moved to England in 1996 and went onto score nearly 100 goals for Chelsea in a seven-year period, in which he became extremely popular for his flamboyant style of play.
Betting
To get all the best odds for the game, visit our official betting partner Bet2Go. A draw is best-priced at 5/2, but if you fancy Wanderers to nick all three points then fantastic odds of 4/1 are available.
A scoreless draw is 11/1 while if you fancy Kevin Davies to get the first goal of the game, then back the big Yorkshire man at 9/1.
Click here for more info.
Listen Live
If you can't make it to Upton Park on Sunday afternoon, you can listen to live commentary on Wanderers World with broadcasting stalwart Jack Dearden.
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