Bolton vs Marseille Analysis

February 14, 2006

Bolton's quest for European glory continues apace in Wednesday's UEFA Cup first-leg encounter with Marseille and I reckon that Sam Allardyce's men will be equal to the task.

 

The Trotters will be keen to establish an advantage at the Reebok Stadium which they can take to France in eight days time, but they will no doubt approach this game with the same degree of caution that has been the feature of their exploits in this competition thus far.

 

Bolton have won three of their five matches in the competition up to this point and have drawn the other two. The Wanderers tend to play very tight in Europe and, as a result, their matches tend to be low scoring affairs. In the five matches they have played, they have yet to concede more than one goal, and yet to score more than two. The very same stat applies to Marseille.

 

The French side are likely to play for a draw, in the hope that they can lure Bolton back to their quarters on level terms. However, if, as I expect, this match is still level in the second half, Phillipe Troussier's charges may well adopt a more offensive approach in the hope of nabbing a late, precious away goal. But this will leave them vulnerable to a Bolton side who are rich in attacking flair and they will be waiting in the wings to deliver a telling counter punch.

 

Bearing this in mind, the bet that appeals most in this tie is the 4/1 offered by Blue Square about draw/Bolton in the half-time/full-time market. By the same token, a saver on Bolton winning 1-0 in the correct score market looks well worth an interest at a generous-looking 6/1 with bet365.