History Repeating?

Whilst it is hard not to be dubious when it comes to considering omens, United’s glorious 2007/08 campaign got off to a faltering start before it kicked in to life around this time last year with a 4-0 home thrashing of Wigan Athletic.

For those of a mystic persuasion though, it is hard to not see signs of history repeating as United struggle to gain any momentum once again after a series of poor results in the early weeks of the season.

To increase the feeling of déjà vu, North West opposition in the guise of Bolton Wanderers are also entering the Theatre of Dreams at a time when the Reds are desperate for a sacrificial lamb to give themselves a kick start.

Indeed, shambolic defending at Anfield, insipid attacking play against Newcastle and Villarreal, plus a no show in the UEFA Super Cup final had been all United had to show for their season until last weekend. However, a rallying display against ‘Big Phil’ Scolari’s Chelsea saw the Red Devils be the better side for large parts of a game that ended 1-1 after Salomon Kalou’s 80th minute equaliser.

If United play anywhere near as well on Saturday then the kind of winning run needed to ignite this Manchester United side could very well begin in earnest.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s midweek start against Middlesbrough should also add some much needed dynamism to a United attack that has struggled in his absence. The Portuguese has been sorely missed, with the Red Devils taking until last Tuesday’s Carling Cup fixture to score more than one goal in a game.

Such offensive impotence has not been on show at title rivals Chelsea and Arsenal. As such, the Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges must swiftly re-discover the cavalier attitude of 2007/08 if any more major silverware is to be added to the Old Trafford trophy cabinet come the end of May.

A Win & A Prayer

There weren’t many teams that beat Manchester United last season. To the joy of the Bolton Wanderers faithful, however, the Trotters were one of the few sides that did. That the 1-0 win over the Premier League and European Champions at the Reebok Stadium wasn’t a fluke result adds even more to the achievement.

Although normality was resumed when the two sides met at Old Trafford with the Red Devils easing to a 2-0 victory, the Bolton players should be able to draw on the confidence that home win created when the teams meet on Saturday.
Manager Gary Megson should also be able to point to Bolton’s promising performance last weekend against Arsenal. The Trotters took the lead in the game through a Kevin Davies header, and matched the Gunners in a heated contest that finally ended 3-1 to the North London club.

The tenacity that flows through Bolton was again on show against Arsene Wenger’s side, with a trademark challenge from goal scorer Davies sending Gael Clichy to the floor and the Arsenal bench up in the air in anger.

The post match comments of club captain Kevin Nolan condoning such play certainly didn’t help matters, and there can be little doubt that Sir Alex Ferguson will be watching out for any wild tackles after Rodrigo Possebon’s unfortunate incident against Middlesbrough in midweek.

As Bolton fans will be aware though, the return of Johan Elmander and Matt Taylor to the Bolton line-up will add some much-needed quality. These two players have more than enough to make their mark on this game in a much more civilised way than Davies did against Arsenal, however, and could help Bolton repeat the famous win they recorded against United last year.


FORM GUIDE

Manchester United

23rd September vs. Middlesbrough (H) won 3-1 (CARLING CUP)

21st September vs. Chelsea (A) drew 1-1 (PREM)

17th September vs. Villarreal C.F. (H) drew 0-0 (CHAMP LG)

13th September vs. Liverpool (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)

29th August vs. Zenit St. Petersburg (N) lost 2-1 (UEFA SUPER CUP)

Bolton Wanderers

20th September vs. Arsenal (H) lost 3-1 (PREM)

13th September vs. Fulham (A) lost 2-1 (PREM)

30th August vs. West Bromwich Albion (H) drew 0-0 (PREM)

26th August vs. Northampton Town (A) lost 2-1 (CARLING CUP)

23rd August vs. Newcastle United (A) lost 1-0 (PREM)


TEAM NEWS

Manchester United

The Old Trafford crowd can expect the big hitters of the first team to be unleashed by Sir Alex Ferguson for the visit of Bolton after the reserves mid week Carling Cup exertions. Serbian centre back Nemanja Vidic will undoubtedly be part of the squad after his one game suspension was served against Chelsea. This leaves Michael Carrick (ankle) and Edwin Van Der Sar (knee) as the only star names left on the Old Trafford treatment table.

Last starting XI (vs. Middlesbrough): Amos, Rafael Da Silva, Vidic, Brown, O'Shea, Nani, Possebon (Gibson 72), Anderson, Giggs (Manucho 84), Welbeck, Ronaldo (Tevez 61).
Subs Not Used: Zieler, Cleverley, Gray, Eckersley.

Squad: Kuszczak, Amos, Neville, Brown, Ferdinand, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Rafael Da Silva, O'Shea, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Scholes, Anderson, Ronaldo, Giggs, Park, O'Shea, Nani, Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez, Manucho.

Bolton Wanderers

Bolton expect club record signing Johan Elmander (hamstring) and ex-Portsmouth player Matt Taylor (broken toe) to be fit for the short trip on the M61 to the Theatre of Dreams. Promising centre-half Gary Cahill will also join this pair in the Wanderers team after the completion of the three-match ban he picked up against Northampton Town in the Carling Cup.

Last starting XI (vs. Arsenal): Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Shittu, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Joey O'Brien (McCann 61), Smolarek (Riga 56), Muamba (Vaz Te 81), Nolan, Gardner, Davies.
Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Hunt, Helguson, Cohen.

Squad: Jaaskelainen, Al Habsi, Steinsson, Shittu, Taylor, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Hunt, Joey O'Brien, McCann, Smolarek, Riga, Muamba, Vaz Te, Nolan, Cohen, Gardner, Elmander, Davies, Helguson.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United: After marking his first start of the season with a goal, Cristiano Ronaldo will now be ready to start taking main stage in United’s charge up the table. The Portuguese international isn’t firing on all cylinders just yet, but you can be sure that his speed and outrageous skill means that the Bolton defence will be in for a testing afternoon on Saturday.

Bolton Wanderers: For Bolton to stand any chance in this game then Fabrice Muamba’s ball-winning skills will be vital. The ex-Arsenal player will need to call on all the lessons he learnt from Patrick Viera to ensure he is a constant thorn in the side of United’s classy midfield. If this happens then the foundations of a potential upset could very well be laid by the England U21 international.


PREDICTION

With United’s world-class squad finally coming together as we enter the last days of September, it really is hard to see Bolton taking anything from this game.

The Wanderers may have been impressive during their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, but it will take a lot more than that if they are to repeat the previous season’s victory over the Red Devils.

Manchester United 2-0 Bolton Wanderers


Matt Monaghan