Bolton Wanderers v Aris
I have been out for more than two weeks, no betting during this time so no posting either.
Couldn't miss this one though as it's another big night for Aris in this year's
uefa cup.
Aris lost its first game of the season at
the Greek league last Saturday. They did miss quite a few players for that one, some of them are going to return for the game at Reebok. Big question mark is goalkeeper Chalkias that is injured and may not make this one. This will be a loss for Aris team as he had an excellent time since he joined Aris and he showed a totally different form compared to his days at Portsmouth where he made a joke out of himself. He seems to provide security at the back and his physical presence is an important factor. If he does not make it, 2nd choice Slovak Keleman will replace him. Left back Brazilian Marco Aurelio will probably miss this one as he just recovered from an injury but he is not ready for such a game. Central defender Brazilian Ronaldo Giaro will probably be back at the starting 11 and that is also a huge boost for the team as his experience and quality are indispensable. Also a couple of players (Bolivian def. midfielder Nacho Garcia and Spanich right winger Tony Calvo) that were suspended for the last league game will make it back to the team, first one will definitely be at the starting 11.
Overall player by player, Bolton has the advantage but in football this is not always decisive. They do not have the creativity that other English teams like Everton or Spurs that take part at the
uefa cup have and if Aris is concentrated for 90 mins, avoid mistakes and have their fair share of luck, they can take something out of the game. A draw would be sufficient for the guests as in that case, one more point from the next game vs Braga at home may be enough to secure qualification. Bolton will be aiming for the 3 points in order to qualify, in any other case it will all come down to their last game at Belgrade against Red Star, which may prove pretty tough. However they do have a difficult away game at Liverpool coming and one should wait to see if they underestimate Aris rotating more than they should. Their win against ManU should be a morale booster but one should not forget that Anelka's goal was their only shot on goal in that game. Of course I am not comparing ManU to Aris and we should expect more opportunities for them on Thursday.
Aris fans will be travelling at Reebok, I would expect something like 1,500 maybe 2,000, which is not a great number but they will probably be pretty noisy. I know for a fact that I will be personnally responsible for a considerable part of the noise as it's been some months now that I have not watched Aris live and I have to make up for it
.
Anyway, once more no pick from me on this as I am clearly biased. Hope some of the info is helpful. Good luck to Aris and to your bets (as long as they are not on homewin
)