Wigan Athletic v Bolton Wanderers,
Barclays Premier League,
Saturday 2 May, 2009,
The JJB Stadium, 3pm Kick-Off

Wanderers embark on the shortest away journey of the season on Saturday afternoon when they travel ten miles to face local neighbours Wigan Athletic, who have lost their last three Barclays Premier League fixtures.

A win for Gary Megson's men would see Bolton move level on points with the Latics on 41, with a victory of two clear goals resulting in the two clubs swapping places.

The pre-match statistics suggest that the game should have goals, as it has been 27 games since Wanderers were last involved in a nil-nil draw (Blackburn - October 18, 2008) whilst there has never been a stalemate in any of the last 28 meetings between the two clubs.

The game could see Gretar Steinsson make his 50th appearance for Bolton Wanderers, whereas a goal for Kevin Davies would take him to a half century of strikes for the club in the Premier League.

Wigan have failed to win in 11 of their last 13 top-flight matches, a stat which concerns defender Emerson Boyce. Speaking to Wigan Athletic's official website, he explained that he was expecting a physical, feisty encounter.

"Bolton is going to be a similar game to Blackburn and, of course, be very physical. We got to be ready for it and be prepared to start grinding out the results again.

"Earlier in the season we were competing really well, looking strong and being hard to break down. We seem to have lost that lately and Saturday's game is a chance to put that right."

The referee for the fixture is Chester-based official Mike Jones. So far this season he has taken control of 35 games in all four divisions, dishing out 103 yellow cards and five reds. His last Premier League game was Manchester City's 4-2 victory over West Bromwich Albion on April 19.

Team News
Danny Shittu is back in full training after recovering from a calf strain, so he could come into contention for a place in Gary Megson's starting line-up. Ricardo Gardner could return after missing last week's draw with Aston Villa with a hamstring problem, whilst Mark Davies won't be rushed as he recovers from a knee injury. Ricardo Vaz Te and Joey O'Brien are definitely out.

Amr Zaki could be handed a recall to the Wigan starting XI after he featured in the second half against Blackburn. It was the Egyptian's first appearance since returning late from international duty at the start of the month.

Opposition Manager - Steve Bruce



The 48-year-old former centre-half was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in November 2007 when the club agreed to pay £3m to his former employers Birmingham City for his services. It signalled Bruce's second coming at the JJB, where he had previously spent a short period as boss in 2001.

Having retired from the game as a player in 1998 with over 700 games under his belt, the Northumberland-born man made the step into management firstly with Sheffield United, before he had brief stints at Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic and Crystal Palace.

It was at Birmingham City where he fortified his reputation as a top-class manager. He spent just under six years with the Blues in which he earned promotion to the Premier League and made some notable player signings for the club including French international Christophe Dugarry.

In his first season back with Wigan, Bruce preserved the Latics' Premier League status, which for long periods of the season looked in jeopardy.

Opposition Key Player - Lee Cattermole



Wigan completed the capture of the England U21 midfielder from Middlesbrough in July of last year. Steve Bruce hailed the signing saying that Cattermole had everything going for him, "He's young, he's courageous, he's a tireless worker and I think he can have a great career in football - hopefully for Wigan."

The Latics originally failed with a bid for the player but returned to make a successful offer, which was thought to be in the region of around £3.5m. A product of Middlesbrough's acclaimed academy, the Stockton-born man made a total of 69 appearances for Boro, scoring three goals.

He recently returned from a four-game suspension following a red card in Wigan's home defeat to West Ham United at the beginning of March. Following the completion of his ban, Steve Bruce had no reservations in throwing Cattermole back into his starting line-up in last Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Blackburn.

Listen Live
If you can't make it to the JJB Stadium on Saturday afternoon, you can listen to live uninterrupted commentary on Wanderers World with the club's official commentator Phil Gittins and club journalist Robert Urbani. The broadcast starts at 2.30pm.
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