Bolton v Manchester United
Kevin Davies has made a habit of defeating the doubters.
Cast into the footballing wilderness by Southampton in 2003, the bulky centre-forward has re-built his career at Bolton despite many pundits writing his career off and is now part of the furniture at the Reebok Stadium.
Usually one of the first names on the team sheet, Davies has been inspiration over the past few seasons, turning the Trotters into a mainstay in the Premier League in the process.
He has succeeded in many areas when donning the Bolton colours, but defeating this week’s opponents Manchester United is something he is yet to achieve, and typically Davies is bullish about erasing that stat this weekend.
"There's always a buzz around the training ground in the days leading up to playing Manchester United,” Davies told the club’s official website.
“The lads have all been on top of their game in training in anticipation for the game. Yes, it's a big game against Manchester United, but at the same time it's just another league fixture and we'll be as prepared as we would be for any other match.
"I could call it a scalp but I know the manager loves pitting himself against the best and he wants us to be aiming for victories against these kind of clubs.”
Bolton’s tough looking task will be made easier by the news that Jussi Jaaskelainen will return in goal following the completion of his three-match ban, but defender Gary Cahill misses the game as he has yet to complete his suspension.
Another striker that has seemingly turned his career around has been
Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov, who notched a match-winning hat-trick in last weekend’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Liverpool.
The Bulgarian has flattered to deceive since his £30m move from Tottenham two seasons ago, but is finally starting to find his feet – a theory behind his recent hot-streak, is the continued decline of Wayne Rooney’s form since the World Cup.
Berbatov is very much a confidence player, and needs to be the focal point of an attack to be at his very best. It seems the more Rooney disappoints, the more Berbatov becomes more influential.
There are even reports suggesting that Rooney maybe dropped the weekend, as Sir Alex Ferguson looks to employ a five-man midfield at the Reebok.
At the back Rio Ferdinand came through the Carling Cup win over Scunthorpe on Wednesday, and could renew his formidable partnership with Nemanja Vidic at the heart of the United defence, while Ferguson also revealed that Owen Hargreaves is nearing a first team return, but this game will come too soon.
Bolton have a serious job on their hands to stifle a United side who have lost only one of their last 11 visits to the Reebok, but with Davies in the side, who has previous, Bolton could just defy the odds.
Prediction – Bolton 2 Manchester United 1
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