Bolton Wanderers slumped to a resounding 4-0 defeat away at Derby County last weekend which became The Trotters’ fifth defeat from their last six matches in the Championship as relegation back down to League One looms.
Another defeat on Good Friday would be anything but for Bolton Wanderers who are 10 points adrift of fourth from bottom club, Wigan Athletic, and safety following defeats to Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan Athletic, Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough and the aforementioned loss to Derby County have left Bolton’s hopes of survival in the Championship hanging by a thread.
Bolton’s form at the Macron Stadium hasn’t done them any favours either as The Trotters have lost six of their last eight matches and gaining just one win during this sequence which was a 2-1 win over fellow relegation strugglers, Millwall.
The hosts also possess the third worst defensive record at home in the Championship having conceded 32 goals to date, keeping just three clean sheets so far this season, but they must get a result here today in order to keep their slim hopes alive of avoiding the drop.
Aston Villa further strengthened their claims for a place in the play-offs following a 2-1 home win over fellow play-off hopefuls, Bristol City, at Villa Park as the visitors extended their winning streak in the Championship to an impressive eight matches.
Aston Villa have certainly hit form at just the right time as Dean Smith’s side now occupy 5th place and hold a valuable five-point cushion ahead of 7th placed Middlesbrough prior to the Easter period.
The visitors have also made a significant improvement upon results away from home in the second tier as Villa have chalked up wins at west midlands bitter rivals, Birmingham City, along with victories at Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham United, with the last three results bringing 3 goals or more in each match.
11 of Aston Villa’s 21 away matches have seen the over 2.5 goals mark achieved, and perhaps this is no surprise with the likes of goalscoring midfielders Hourihane (7 goals) and McGinn (6 goals) along with forwards Abraham (24 goals), Kodjia (7 goals) and El Ghazi (5 goals) in their attacking personnel.
Bolton Wanderers know they can’t afford another defeat and will be desperate to make home advantage count here, while Aston Villa will be keen to further consolidate their play-off spot. Goals could feature here as a result…