Bolton are in danger of slipping down the Premiership standings after picking up just one point from last four games and they have to try and arrest the poor run against none other than Chelsea. The Blues struggled a great deal against Blackburn but ended up recording a morale boosting win that will have almost no significance if they fail to beat Bolton.

Bolton struggling of late

Following the impressive first part of the season and a win over West Brom on Boxing Day, Bolton failed to win any of their next four league games, although the poor run can be attributed to the difficult fixture list. The Trotters suffered back to back defeats to Chelsea and Liverpool even though they had completely outplayed the Blues and conceded last-minute goal to Liverpool, once again proving their high league position is completely deserved. The hectic schedule has also started to take its toll on the team, especially as Owen Coyle’s small squad was stripped to bare bones due to injuries over the last few weeks, although the situation is improving. The Trotters have been pretty convincing at home this term, losing only to Liverpool and I can definitely see them getting something from this match as well.

Chung-Yong Lee is still away on international duty, but Stuart Holden and Gretar Steinsson should return to contention following the spell on the sidelines. New signing David Wheater is in line for a debut, while Ivan Klasnic remains a doubt.

Chelsea still finding their pace

Carlo Ancelotti’s Chelsea are now a completely different side to that which ruled the Premier League in the opening exchanges of the season as the lack of confidence is really affecting the players. Key players Drogba, Anelka, Lampard and Malouda are completely out of form, as witnessed in the Blackburn game, when the Blues needed defender Bane Ivanovic to open and close the scoring against weak Rovers. With Frank Lampard likely to miss the Bolton game, the Blues will have major problems at Reebok Stadium as the Trotters also need a good result to kick-start their campaign. Chelsea have failed to record back to back victories in the league since October and everything suggests the trend is set to continue.

John Terry is expected to start despite having a back problem, but Frank Lampard is a major doubt. Alex, Youssi Benayoun, Fabio Borini and Yuri Zhirkov remain long-term worries.

Verdict

Bolton already outplayed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge even if they fail to get something from that game, but they should be able to make that right this time. The Blues are still struggling for form and the best they can do at Reebok without Frank Lampard is to get one point.

Our prediction: Double chance on Bolton

Odds: 2.15 (23/20)

Bookmaker: Sportingbet