Preview: Arsenal v. Bolton Wanderers

Arsenal fell behind early in this fixture in January, equalized controversially (pictured), then won comfortably. Pic via Guardian.

Emirates Stadium, London

Saturday, September 11

15:00 BST, 10:00 a.m. EDT

• Referee: Stuart Attwell
• This Match, Last Year: Arsenal 4 - 2 Bolton Wanderers
• All-Time in All Competitions: 55 Arsenal wins, 38 Bolton wins, 35 draws
• Arsenal's Recent Form: D-W-W
• Bolton's Recent Form: D-W-D

Predicted Line-Up

guesses in red

Almunia

Sagna - Koscielny - Vermaelen - Clichy

Song - Fabregas - Diaby

Rosicky - Chamakh - Arshavin

Subs from: Fabianski, Squillaci, Gibbs, Eboue, Denilson, Wilshere, Vela

Out: Nasri (knee), Walcott (ankle), Bendtner (groin), Van Persie (ankle), Ramsey (broken leg), Frimpong (knee)

Arsenal News and Notes

• Theo Walcott's injury, suffered on Tuesday with the England squad, is not a broken ankle, but the initial diagnosis of two weeks was, of course, wishful thinking. It looks more like four to six weeks now.
• Samir Nasri is ahead of schedule and is returning to training with the team. I wouldn't expect a start from the Frenchman on Saturday, but he could return to the bench.
• The news on Robin van Persie is much worse, since his ankle might actually be made of glass. The word after the Blackburn match was two weeks. That quickly jumped up to four weeks. Now it seems he's out until "mid-October," which would ultimately end up being about six weeks since the injury. The worst part is that he'll almost certainly miss early October's trip to Stamford Bridge.
• The news on Nicklas Bendtner's groin has been all over the place; my understanding is that he could be available by that aforementioned match at Chelsea in October.
• Aaron Ramsey remains out until at least November; Emmanuel Frimpong will not likely see first team action this year after his ligament tear.
• Arsenal are unbeaten in their last four competitive fixtures dating back to last season. Including pre-season friendlies, they are unbeaten in ten. But who includes those? Nobody, that's who.

Bolton News and Notes

• Sean Davis is out until October with a knee injury.
• Bolton will have to start 22-year-old rookie Adam Bogdan as their goalkeeper; Jussi Jaaskelainen was shown a straight red card in Bolton's last match, a 2-2 draw with Birmingham City, for a slap to the face of Roger Johnson, and is suspended.
• Like Arsenal, Bolton are one of seven Premier League squads without a loss this season. Only Chelsea has three wins and no draws. Arsenal and Manchester United have one draw. Bolton, Birmingham, and Wolves have two draws, and Fulham has three.
• Bolton are unbeaten in their four competitive fixtures this year, which includes their 1-0 win over Southampton in the Carling Cup.
• Dating back to last season, Bolton is unbeaten in five.

Match Facts

• Arsenal won both fixtures against Bolton Wanderers last season. After multiple fixture rearrangements, both matches were played in a four day span.
• Arsenal won 2-0 at the Reebok (with goals from Fabregas and Fran Merida), then won 4-2 at the Emirates after falling behind 2-0 early (with goals from Rosicky, Fabregas, Vermaelen, and Arshavin.)
• This fixture was postponed twice last season; once for Arsenal's Champions League play-off tie against Celtic and once due to heavy snow in London.
• Arsenal has won their last seven league fixtures against Bolton. The Trotters last win was a 3-1 win at the Reebok in November of 2006. Former Gunner Nicolas Anelka had a brace.
• Bolton's last league win at Arsenal was January 13, 1962, a 2-1 win. Since then, the Gunners have won 12 and drawn three.

The Referee

• The referee is Stuart Attwell.
• Attwell became the youngest referee in Premier League history when he debuted in September of 2008.
• This is the first time in his career he will be officiating an Arsenal match.
• He has already worked one Bolton match this season: their opening day 0-0 draw against Fulham. Last year, he worked one Trotters match: a 2-1 win at Stoke.

Around the League

• Saturday: Everton v. Manchester United; Goodison Park, Liverpool
• Saturday: Fulham v. Wolverhampton Wanderers; Craven Cottage, London
• Saturday: Manchester City v. Blackburn Rovers; City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
• Saturday: Newcastle United v. Blackpool; St. James' Park, Newcastle upon Tyne
• Saturday: West Bromwich Albion v. Tottenham Hotspur; The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
• Saturday: West Ham United v. Chelsea; Boleyn Ground, London
• Saturday: Wigan Athletic v. Sunderland; DW Stadium, Wigan
• Sunday: Birmingham City v. Liverpool; St. Andrews, Birmingham
• Monday: Stoke City v. Aston Villa; Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent