As Wanderers prepare to travel to Aston Villa on Saturday, bwfc.co.uk highlights five talking points ahead of the Whites’ Sky Bet Championship clash to the Villains.
1. International Break
Come 5.00pm Saturday afternoon, Wanderers fans will have to wait until October 14 before Bolton are in action again. The penultimate international break of the year may act as a welcomed break for Phil Parkinson and his coaching staff.
While Wanderers will have to wait two weeks until they play a Sky Bet Championship game again, the likes of Josh Vela and Derik Osede will be able to recover from their injuries going into the Sheffield Wednesday tie due to the extra week for recovery.
2. Sammy Ameobi
One positive from Tuesday night’s fixture against Bristol was the return of Sammy Ameobi. The adored winger replaced Craig Noone on the 55 minute and while he didn’t contribute a goal or assist, Sammy did look very lively and his pace proved to be a danger for The Robins defence.
With Filipe Morais suspended could Ameobi be in line for his first start of the season?
3. Jeff King
Nine months ago, Jeff King was playing non-league football and training twice a week. Fast-forward to the present day and the midfielder has made his professional debut at the London Stadium and started his first Sky Bet Championship game against Bristol City on Tuesday night.
The youngster has had a well-documented wait for his chance in Phil Parkinson’s side, however, will we see the midfielder feature again this weekend?
4. Karl Henry
Monday night saw the addition of Karl Henry to the squad. Phil Parkinson threw the former-QPR midfielder straight into the action as Henry started alongside Darren Pratley in the heart of the midfield for Bolton.
The duo provided a resilient, tough tackling pairing that we may see against Aston Villa this weekend.
5. Team news
Filipe Morais will miss Saturday afternoon’s game through suspension, however, midfielder Jem Karacan is back in contention after serving his ban following his five yellow cards.
Both Stephen Darby and Will Buckley will be assessed ahead of the fixture as the duo look to recover from their injuries, meanwhile, Ben Alnwick will be hoping to recover from a neck strain that saw him miss Tuesday’s tie against Bristol City.