Bolton Wanderers take on Aston Villa in the Sky Bet Championship at the University of Bolton Stadium on Good Friday. With that in mind, bwfc.co.uk highlight five key talking points to take into the clash.
- Squad Update
Speaking to bwfc.co.uk prior to the clash, manager Phil Parkinson also gave the following update regarding the condition of his squad.
Parkinson said: ‘We have a couple of knocks, with Craig Noone and Sammy Ameobi picking up slight niggles.’
‘Sammy twisted his ankle late on against Derby and had to come off, along with Nooney suffering from a bit of tightness in his hamstring.’
‘Both players could be available but we will wait and see tomorrow.’
- The reverse fixture – Bolton Wanderers 5-2 Aston Villa 21/01/04 (Jay Jay Okocha x2, Kevin Nolan, Stelios, Bruno N’Gotty)
We take you back to January 2004, with Sam Allardyce’s men taking on David O’Leary’s Aston Villa in an EFL Cup semi-final, first leg clash at the then named Reebok Stadium.
Wanderers sailed into a three goal lead within 20 minutes, with goals from playmaking sensation Jay-Jay Okocha, Kevin Nolan and Stelios Giannakopoulos.
A Juan Pablo Angel brace seemed to have got the Villans back into the tie, before a Bruno N’Gotty towering header and a mystifying Okocha free-kick sent the game beyond doubt for the Whites.
To relive these highlights, follow the YouTube link below!
- New Faces at Villa Park
In the January transfer window, Villans manager Dean Smith brought in a few new faces to bolster his squad.
Coming in from Bournemouth to support the defence is Tyrone Mings.
The former Ipswich man has suffered with injuries since joining Bournemouth, with a serious knee injury keeping him out for the 2015/16 season.
Another loanee brought in by Dean Smith is Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Kortney Hause.
The centre-back made a significant impact in the England Under-21 setup during his tenure with them, with the Toulon Tournament back in 2016.
Brought in as goalkeeping cover on the first day of the transfer window was Lovre Kalinic from Belgian side, K.A.A. Gent.
The 29-year-old was a member of the Croatian 2018 FIFA World Cup that finished runner-up to France, ultimately seeing Kalinic and his teammates awarded the Order of Duke Branimir for their exploits in Russia.
- Discount Shirt Offer
Buy a BWFC home, away, third choice or goalkeeper replica shirt for just £14.99 each in our replica kit sale.
Get kitted out in club colours while you support the lads for the remainder of the campaign at an amazing price, while stocks last.
Whether it’s the traditional white home shirt, the popular black away shirt or the stunning blue third shirt, make sure you don’t miss out.
Check out bwfcdirect.co.uk for further reductions across the BWFC replica range.
- Opponent’s recent form
When looking to Aston Vila’s current form, they have won their last eight matches in the Sky Bet Championship.
Their previous away game was a 2-1 victory against Rotherham United, with a Jonathan Kodjia penalty and a well worked Jack Grealish goal seeing the Villans take all three points.
They currently sit fifth in the division, comfortably five points into the play-off places.
When looking to their away record in the last five games, Villa have come away with 13 points and are in a rich vein of form.