Fulham to aid top-half push against Bolton
Ten days after perhaps the most humiliating result in recent Bolton history, Owen Coyle's side return to the capital looking to eradicate the painful memory of their 5-0 FA Cup semi-final hammering at the hands of Stoke against a Fulham team that they defeated on their way to Wembley.
Yet while the Cottagers came out second best in that cup collision, the omens are promising for them as they target three points that will help them climb to ninth in the Premier League table and put them on course for a top-half finish that they are currently priced at [2.66] to achieve.
Mark Hughes' men are one of only three visiting clubs to have kept a top-flight clean sheet at the Reebok Stadium this season, putting them in the illustrious company of Liverpool and Chelsea, having held Wanderers to a goalless draw in August, and they are even stingier at Craven Cottage.
Fulham boast the best defensive record of anyone outside the top four and have shut out the opposition in half of their 16 home games, while their record as hosts in 2011 is rather intimidating, having achieved five victories and one draw in six outings, silencing their guests on five occasions.
Those statistics indicate that the west Londoners should be backed to triumph at [1.82], keep a clean sheet at [2.48] and win to nil at [3.1], especially as Bolton have claimed just a point from their last nine Premier League encounters on the road.
Fulham have netted more than twice only three times under Hughes' guidance, which signals under 2.5 goals as another shrewd wager at [1.85], while Bobby Zamora is their most likely hero at [3.25] having netted three times in two home league starts since returning from a broken leg.
Disagree and fancy Bolton's chances of success? They are [5.2] to win...
Published: 27 Apr 2011
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