Match Preview

Preview: Bolton v Ipswich

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Isn`t Barry Knight a (word redacted)? Wasn`t that Frank Worthington goal back in the day brilliant?

Think of Bolton v Ipswich and you think of one of those two games. Tomorrow, these two teams meet once again at the Macron, with Bolton needing a win to keep themselves out of the relegation zone. Ipswich meanwhile, are on the fringes of the playoff race – they sit 12th, but just four points off the top six going into the weekend slate of fixtures.

Vital Quotes:

“We`ve proved to ourselves we can get points off the so-called better clubs. I don`t think there`s any doubt in anyone`s mind that we can do this. We`re stronger than last time.”

David Wheater speaking to the Bolton News earlier in the week.

Bolton Wanderers Team News:

Karl Henry may have a chance of returning from his injury, but Darren Pratley is still out. Will Buckley has been tipped with a return to the starting lineup.

Player to watch: Gary Madine

The stereotypes of a Mick McCarthy team are well known, so it`ll be another big test for Madine.

Ipswich Town Team News:

Stephen Gleeson should be announced as a new loan signing from Birmingham this morning and should be eligible to play. Bartosz Bialkowski and Cole Skuse are set to return from injuries. Tristan Nydam has a smaller chance of being involved, while Adam Webster, Tom Adeyemi and Grant Ward are all out.

Player to watch: Joe Garner

A summer signing from Rangers, Garner has eight goals this season and will also keep the central defenders busy in the air.

Match Facts & Stats

Bolton v Ipswich usually has some sort of story to it. The last time we hosted them was two seasons ago when we marked the 70th anniversary of the Burnden disaster before kick-off. As for the game, we came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, with Lawrie Wilson scoring a screamer.

We last met in mid-September. After a decent first-half performance, Ipswich scored twice in the second half, one thanks to a deflection, as we fell to a 2-0 defeat.

Ipswich have one win from their last five away games (although it has been a tough run of games) while Bolton have lost one of their last five league games at the Macron.

Bolton`s last league win over Ipswich was in 2002, when Fredi Bobic scored Wanderers` only ever Premier League hat-trick. We also won 3-1 at Portman Road in an FA Cup tie in 2005.

Ref Watch:

Barry Knight is still a…yeah

Match Prediction:

We`re back on our patch. It`s a tough game to call, because while Ipswich have struggled on the road, they`ve been to some tough places of late and they`ll still be a hard team to break down. Nevertheless, this is a game we need to win if we are to keep the decent work of the last few months up. 2-0 Bolton.

Next Fixtures:

The Cardiff game next week has been postponed, so we get a week`s break and resume at with a home double-header against Bristol City and Fulham as it stands.

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