Barclays Premier League
Bolton Wanderers v West Ham United
Reebok Stadium
Saturday 21 February
3pm
Referee: Steve Tanner
• West Ham United travel to meet Gary Megson's Bolton Wanderers for the club's 14th away match of the 2008/09 Barclays Premier League season.
• Gianfranco Zola said: "We know what kind of team they are. We know they are very physical and we need to find other solutions to get round their physical aspects. We've been working and we will try and surprise them if we can."
• Bolton Wanderers manager Gary Megson said: "We are getting a little bit stronger in terms of bodies available. After the Everton game we would have liked to have played the week after but, having said that, it did give us the opportunity to get some of the players back."
• Zola's side go into the match in eighth place in the Premier League table, with 33 points from 25 matches. A victory could lift the Hammers above Wigan Athletic into seventh position should the Latics fail to win at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
• This is the 52nd league meeting between the two sides. Bolton Wanderers have won 25, West Ham United have won 18 and there have been eight draws.
Last time out
Saturday 14 February 2009
FA Cup fifth round
West Ham United 1-1 Middlesbrough
West Ham United: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Collison, Parker, Noble (Savio 74), Boa Morte (Sears 49), Di Michele, Cole (Tristan 33)
Subs not used: Lastuvka, Lopez, Kovac, Spector
Booked: Di Michele, Noble
Goal: Ilunga 83
Saturday 7 February 2009
Barclays Premier League
Everton 3-0 Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, A O'Brien, Cahill, Puygrenier (Basham 60), Samuel, Steinsson, M Davies, Muamba (Smolarek 60),Taylor, K Davies, Makukula (Riga 83)
Subs not used: Al Habsi, Shittu, Obadeyi
Booked: M Davies
West Ham United
• West Ham United have not lost away from home since going down 2-0 at Manchester United on Wednesday 29 October 2008. Since then, the Hammers are unbeaten in eight away matches in all competitions - seven in the Premier League and an FA Cup fourth-round tie at Hartlepool United.
• United have won three away league matches (Fulham, Sunderland and Portsmouth), drawn five (Middlesbrough, Liverpool Chelsea, Newcastle United and Arsenal) and lost four (Manchester City, West Bromwich Albion, Hull City, Manchester United).
• The Hammers go into Saturday's match having lost just one of their last ten matches in all competitions - a 1-0 home Premier League defeat by Manchester United on 8 February.
• West Ham are looking for their first-ever win at the Reebok Stadium. The Hammers have failed to record a victory in eight attempts, drawing twice and losing six times.
• West Ham's last away win at Bolton came in the shape of a 3-0 victory at Burnden Park on 18 November 1995. West Ham's goals that day came courtesy of Ian Bishop, Tony Cottee and Danny Williamson.
• Valon Behrami, with 64, has won more free-kicks than any other Premier League player this season.
• Carlton Cole has had more shots in total (65) on target (38) and off target (27) than any other West Ham player in the Premier League this season. Cole has also been caught offside (24) and committed more fouls (54) than any other Hammer.
• Cole is the club's leading league scorer with eight goals from 22 appearances. His best-ever haul in a single season. David Di Michele has four to his name from eleven starts and six substitute appearances.
• Robert Green is the only West Ham player to have played every minute of the club's 25 Premier League fixtures this season. Matthew Upson, his England team-mate, has started all 25 but was withdrawn late in the 3-1 home defeat by Everton in November.
• England defender Matthew Upson has made more defensive clearances (41) and blocks (22) than any other West Ham United player.
• Valon Behrami and Mark Noble are one caution away from an automatic one-match ban. If they get through the Bolton match and Middlesbrough cup replay without a yellow card, then the threat of suspension for five cautions will be lifted.
Bolton Wanderers
• Bolton Wanderers were the first team to hand Gianfranco Zola a defeat as West Ham manager. The Trotters left the Boleyn Ground with a 3-1 victory on Sunday 5 October thanks to goals from Kevin Davies, Gary Cahill and Matthew Taylor.
• Bolton go into Saturday's game 14th in the Premier League table with 27 points from 25 matches.
• Bolton have lost all nine Premier league matches they have played this season when they have been trailing at half-time.
• Goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen and left-back J'Lloyd Samuel are the only two Bolton players to have started all 25 of the Trotters' Premier League matches this season. Kevin Davies has featured in all 25, but has started 24 and appeared as a substitute once.
• Davies is the Trotters' top scorer with nine goals, all in the Premier League. Taylor has six and Sweden striker Johan Elmander has five. No other Bolton player has scored more than two goals this season.
• Matthew Taylor has had more shots in total (62), on target (37), off target (25) and launched more crosses (37) than any other Bolton player in the Premier League this season.
• Gary Cahill has made more defensive clearances (52) and blocks (29) than any other Bolton player in the Premier League this season.
• Bolton brought in three players during the January transfer window. Highly-rated midfielder Mark Davies was signed from Championship leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers for around £1.5m. French defender Sebastien Puygrenier arrived on loan from Zenit, while Portuguese forward Ariza Makukula has joined from Benfica until the end of the season.
• England Under-19 striker Temitope Obadeyi scored in Bolton's 2-0 FA Youth Cup third round win over West Ham at the Boleyn Ground in December 2007.
Team news
• Gianfranco Zola will definitely be without Luis Boa Morte and Lucas Neill for Saturday's game. Boa Morte could be out for around a month after suffering a torn groin muscle, while captain Neill is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the 1-0 home defeat by Manchester United on 8 February.
• Carlton Cole has been receiving treatment from the club's rehab specialists this week. The England striker hurt his left ankle during last Saturday's 1-1 FA Cup fifth-round draw with Middlesbrough at the Boleyn Ground.
• Czech Republic international Radoslav Kovac, 29, could be in line for his debut following his arrival from Russian side Spartak Moscow on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent move. The versatile former Spartak captain can play in defensive midfield or at the centre of defence.
• United States international Jonathan Spector or England Under-19 defender James Tomkins, who is over his hamstring troubles, could deputise for captain Neill at right-back.
• Danny Gabbidon (stomach), Kieron Dyer (calf) and Dean Ashton (ankle) have been working hard on their rehabilitation this week. Ashton has had positive news after surgery and will be examined by surgeons again in the next two to three weeks.
• Young forward Terry Dixon has been following a personal training programme this week but could join in fully next week.
• Bolton will definitely be without midfielder Joey O'Brien after he underwent knee surgery this week. Republic of Ireland international O'Brien is expected to be sidelined for around two months.
• Midfielder Gavin McCann (ankle) and Portuguese forward Ricardo Vaz Te (knee) are fit for Saturday's match.
• Midfielder Mark Davies, who joined Bolton from Wolverhampton Wanderers in January, has recovered from a knee injury suffered in their 3-0 defeat at Everton, while Elmander (hamstring), full-back Nicky Hunt (thigh) and midfielder Tamir Cohen (hamstring) are also available.
Referee
• Saturday's referee is Steve Tanner.
• Tanner, who is 38, began refereeing in 1987. After taking charge of matches in the Southern League, he joined the Football League list of assistant referees in 2002.
• Tanner graduated to the National List of referees in 2003, taking control of his first match on 9 August that year in the shape of the Division Three fixture between Kidderminster Harriers and Mansfield Town.
• He took control of the 2006 Championship play-off semi-final between Watford and Crystal Palace at Vicarage Road before being promoted to the Select Group at the start of the 2007/08 season.
• Tanner was added to the FIFA list of referees on 1 January 2008, replacing Graham Poll.
• Tanner has yet to take charge of a West Ham match this season. He was the man in the middle for Bolton's 2-1 Premier League defeat by Fulham in September.
Last meeting
• The teams met at the Boleyn Ground on Sunday 5 September 2008, when Bolton won 3-1. Kevin Davies gave the visitors a 30th-minute lead before Gary Cahill doubled their advantage four minutes later. Carlton Cole gave West Ham hope of grabbing a draw on 69 minutes, only for Matthew Taylor to complete the scoring with a long-range strike with four minutes remaining.
• The lineups were:
West Ham United: Green, Faubert, Neill, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Noble, Etherington (Sears 79), Di Michele (Bellamy 54), Cole
Subs not used Lastuvka, Lopez, Davenport, Mullins, Boa Morte
Booked: Bellamy, Faubert, Noble, Parker
Goal: Cole 69
Bolton Wanderers: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, A O'Brien, Cahill, Samuel, K Davies, Nolan, McCann, Muamba (J O'Brien 80), Gardner, Elmander (Taylor 73)
Subs not used Al Habsi, Hunt, Smolarek, Riga, Shittu
Booked: A O'Brien, Nolan, Taylor
Goals: K Davies 30, Cahill 34, Taylor 86
Attendance: 33,715
Old boys
• Among those players who have represented both clubs are Frank Costello, George Eccles, Thomas Kinsell and William Yenson.
Head to head
Last six meetings (Premier League unless stated)
5 October 2008 - West Ham United 1-3 Bolton Wanderers
12 April 2008 - Bolton Wanderers 1-0 West Ham United
4 November 2007 - West Ham United 1-1 Bolton Wanderers
5 May 2007 - West Ham United 3-1 Bolton Wanderers
9 December 2006 - Bolton Wanderers 4-0 West Ham United
15 March 2006 - West Ham United 2-1 Bolton Wanderers (FA Cup)
Overall record v Bolton Wanderers (all competitions) W 22 D 10 L 29
Next up
• West Ham United will travel to Middlesbrough for an FA Cup fifth-round replay on Wednesday 25 February, kick-off 8.10pm.
• Bolton Wanderers play host to Newcastle United at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday 1 March, kick-off 1pm.
General information
• Sunday's weather forecast is for sunny intervals, with a maximum daytime temperature of 9C.
• The southbound M11 will be closed between 10pm and 5.30am for improvement works between the M25 and A406 north circular. Diversions will be in place along the A10 and A12.
• Northern Trains has announced that there will be no trains at Horwich Parkway. The line between Bolton and Lostock Junction will be closed. There will be a normal train service operating from Manchester to Bolton.