Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham Hotspur Preview
On Saturday, Bolton Wanderers host a Tottenham Hotspur club still reeling from their 3-1 win over Inter Milan midweek. Bookmakers have the Spurs as favourites for this important Premier League match after a controversial loss to Manchester United last weekend. Sky Bet has Tottenham as the short winner at 5/4 odds for an away victory. For a riskier bet, they have Bolton at 2/1 odds for the home win and the draw at 12/5.
Gareth Bale played brilliantly against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Tottenham must be careful to not be labeled a one-man team. Bale’s transfer value is rising with each match and he is the Spurs’ joint leading goalscorer with 6 on the season. He has good value to score first, or anytime for that matter, against Bolton, so factor that into your football betting.
The other player with 6 goals for the Spurs is Rafael Van Der Vaart. The Dutchman has been crucial to their current standing at 5th in the Premiership table. He was expected to miss the match against Inter Milan due to injury, but he played the first 45 minutes and scored the first goal. He has scored the first goal for Tottenham on five occasions this season. He has decent value to score first against Bolton, but he remains questionable with the hamstring injury suffered against Manchester United last weekend.
The Bolton side, which is 11th in the Premiership table, shouldn’t be overlooked for first goalscorer, either. The Spurs have fallen behind the opposition in 7 out of their 10 Premier League games to date. England striker Kevin Davies has good value to score first for Bolton as he should have no problem with Tottenham’s Younes Kaboul and William Gallas. His strike partner, Johan Elmander, also has good value to score.
The Wanderers return injured left winger Martin Petrov, who should help Davies and Elmander. Bolton’s home record isn’t anything to brag about with one win and three draws in five matches, including a Liverpool loss in the last outing. Since the Spurs are notoriously slow starters, back Bolton to score first but Tottenham to recover and win by full time. Last season, these clubs finished 2-2, so a draw isn’t out of the question.