West Ham United vs Bolton Match Preview
West Ham took a hiding last week from Manchester United at Old Trafford. Wayne Rooney scored two and Michael Owen one as the Red Devils beat the Hammers 3-0.
The two matches prior to that one, however, had seen the Hammers produce winning performances as they beat first Birmingham and then Hull at Upton Park.
Those results pushed the Hammers three points clear of the relegation zone, but only one point ahead of this weekend’s opponents Bolton. Injuries to Congolese defender Ilunga as well as South African striker Benni McCarthy and Jamaican Striker Zavon Hines will limit manager Gianfranco Zola’s squad choices. Last time out Bolton beat the Hammers 3-1 at Reebok Stadium.
Bolton, like West Ham will see their match at Upton Park as a chance to acquire some insurance points to ward off the potential of a drop into the wilderness of the League Championship as the season winds down.
But manager Owen Coyle, whose side has just one win in six Premier League matches, will be forced to manage through a list of injuries in defense and midfield. Coming away from last weekend Chris Basham, Gavin McCann, Sean Davis, Mark Davies, Gary Cahill and Joey O’Brien are all listed as unavailable due to injury. Then news came from Holland midweek that on-loan American international Stuart Holden suffered a broken leg in the USA’s 2-1 loss to the Dutchmen on Wednesday.
Coyle will be hopeful that Swedish international striker Johan Elmander can find the net against West Ham like he did for his country against Wales on Wednesday. He’s scored just one league goal for Bolton this season, but he got the only goal of the game in Sweden’s 0-1 victory over the Welshmen.
