Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers,
Barclays Premier League,
Wednesday 6 January, 2010,
The Emirates Stadium, 7.45pm Kick-Off.
Once again Assistant Manager Chris Evans and Head Coach Steve Wigley will oversee events in North London as Wanderers return to Premier League combat with a trip to the Emirates Stadium.
The Whites head south through the snow on the back of a five match unbeaten run, which has seen them notch two wins and three draws, progressing into the fourth round of the FA Cup in the process.
But in Arsenal, they face opponents who have scored 51 top-flight goals this season - more than any other team in the Premier League. The Gunners currently reside in third place and are well poised for title push in the second half of the campaign.
This match was originally scheduled to take place in the middle of August, however Arsenal's Champions League commitments resulted in the meeting of the teams being put back to the New Year. It means that both clubs will meet twice within the space of 10 days as the return fixture will take place at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday 17 January.
Jussi Jaaskelainen is expected to return to the starting line-up after being rested at the weekend, while Zat Knight and Tamir Cohen are also pushing for a recall. Arsene Wenger expects to be able to call upon the services of Andrey Arshavin (foot) and Denilson (back) but Cesc Fabregas definitely misses out with a hamstring injury.
It will be Wanderers' fifth visit to Arsenal's home, which was opened in the summer of 2005. They have narrowly lost three of those meetings, but did register a 1-1 draw on their first trip which came in the FA Cup in January 2006. Historically, there have been 126 previous meetings between the two clubs with Arsenal recording 53 victories compared to Bolton's 38. There have been 35 draws.
The referee for the game is Howard Webb, who will be taking charge of his 18th match of the season. The official, who is also England's representative in the UEFA Champions League, last took control of a Bolton game last September when West Ham United were dumped out of the Carling Cup at the Reebok Stadium.
Those who aren't travelling to the Emirates will be able to listen to live uninterrupted commentary on Wanderers Player from 7.15pm. Listeners are invited to send their thoughts on all things Wanderers to matchday@bwfc.co.uk and the broadcast team will endeavour to read out the emails on air.
