Chelsea v Bolton: Betting Preview & Tips

Chelsea v Bolton Wanderers

Live on Sky Sports 1. Kick off 8pm

Manchester United and Arsenal will be hoping otherwise but Betfair’s Jaymes Monte sees this as a straight forward victory for the league leaders…

Things are going just swimmingly for Chelsea. After booking their third FA Cup final appearance in the space of four years they were then afforded the luxury of watching title chasing rivals Manchester United drop two crucial points in the Ewood Park sun. Carlsberg don’t do weekends, but if they did…

Now, after the trials, tribulations and subsequent run of bad form that the whole John Terry saga brought with it, the domestic double is very much on the cards. The 3-0 win over Aston Villa means that the Blues have now scored 17 and conceded two in their last four games and three points here would move them four points clear at the top with just four games to play.

Sir Alex Ferguson has already tried to stoke the fire at Bolton by claiming that this will be an “easy game” for Chelsea. A clear sign of the Manchester United manager’s desperation, but he does have a point. Chelsea have already beaten The Trotters 4-0 on two separate occasions this season, and their only away victory under Owen Coyle remains a 2-1 triumph over the then hapless West Ham.

That, along with Chelsea’s impressive record at Stamford Bridge, is why we are seeing one of the shortest odds on any team throughout this Premier League season. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are available to back at a paltry 1.15 in the Match Odds market whilst Bolton are a massive 30.0 to take all three points. Those who don’t like to see a big red figure next to a comparatively small green one can look at the Correct Score market where odds of 3.0 on any unquoted would cover a third successive 4-0 score-line in this fixture or Chelsea -2.0 on the Asian Handicap market can also be backed at around 1.75.

If, as expected, Bolton come away from this game without adding to their points tally then things could begin to get a little hairy for Coyle. Their run-in includes away trips to Stoke and Tottenham as well as a tough final day home fixture against Birmingham. Their one saving grace is a game against Portsmouth at The Reebok – winning that and losing the other three would put them on 35 points which may be just enough to keep them up, but would certainly provide some squeaky-bum moments along the way. If you think otherwise then you can back them at a generous 15.0 to finish the season in the bottom three.

For Chelsea, away trips to White Hart Lane then Anfield are the key to their chances of reclaiming the Premier League title that they relinquished in 2007. They can even afford to lose one of those games providing they win the rest and that is why they are as short as 1.33 in the Premier League winners market. You can also back them at odds of 1.6 to secure that domestic double.

The title is certainly Chelsea’s to lose, but many are expecting a few twists and turns along the way. But I can’t see how this match can produce one of those anticipated blips. There is no such thing as a foregone conclusion in football, but victory for Chelsea here is as close as they come.

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