Burnley v Bolton Preview

Posted Tuesday, September 21, 2010 by sportinglife.aol.co.uk

Burnley v Bolton Preview CARLING CUP: TURF MOOR, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 21, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1945 BST

Only one man was ever going to take centre stage once this draw came out of the hat and it was not Tamir Cohen or Daniel Fox. All eyes will be on Owen Coyle as he makes his first return to Turf Moor since leaving for Bolton in January.

Back then Bolton were 18th and Burnley, who he had taken into the top flight, as well as the Carling Cup semi finals, were in the relegation zone. But after his move, he steadily pulled Bolton out of trouble, while Burnley dropped down to the Championship after losing 14 of their 18 matches under Brian Laws.

There are plenty of Clarets who are grateful for the work Coyle did to take them into the Premier League but there are plenty more who will be keen to remind him how angry they are over the manner of his departure.

Coyle was labelled 'Judas' by the Burnley supporters, who abused him from start to finish in their 1-0 defeat at the Reebok Stadium in January.

Eight months have passed since then but Coyle is assured of an uncomfortable evening and he is adamant his feelings for his former club will never change no matter what reception he gets.

"If it was just down to emotion, and emotion alone, I would never have left Burnley," Coyle said. "But I had to look at the bigger picture and I made a footballing decision because of the infrastructure and everything else at Bolton.

"I'd been here as a player and I knew everything that goes with that as well, and that was how it was made.

"Was it emotional leaving? Absolutely. Of course it will be emotional at the game. I wouldn't be evasive or try to get away from that.

"But regardless of how I'm treated or the reception that I get, nothing will ever take away from the feeling I have for Burnley Football Club. It goes without saying."

Key Match-Up: Chris Iwelumo v Sam Ricketts. Iwelumo has looked the archetypal 'handful' after dropping down to the Championship from Wolves and has already scored five goals this season, although three of those came in one game against Preston. With Gary Cahill suspended and Andy O'Brien injured, Coyle is likely to throw in Ricketts and Iwelumo will be keen to exploit any rustiness from the centre back as well as giving him a physical test.

Form Guide: Burnley have won just once in their last four games but were unlucky to come away with only a point from Crystal Palace at the weekend. Bolton recorded an impressive 1-1 draw at Aston Villa at the weekend and the 4-1 loss at Arsenal has been their only defeat in six matches so far this season.

Odds: Burnley 13/8, Bolton 13/8m Draw 23/10.

BOLTON WANDERERS:
They may have only won twice but a run of just one loss in six matches is a positive sign for Bolton, who have looked particularly impressive on their travels.

The defeat at Arsenal aside, they have won at West Ham and drawn at Aston Villa as well as emerging victorious from their Carling Cup trip to Southampton.

The size of Coyle's squad means there are only so many changes he can make, and first-teamers are likely to make up the bench for the short trip to Turf Moor, but Coyle has revealed that striker Rodrigo, who is on loan from Benfica, will start at Burnley, as well as a host of other fringe men.

He told the club's website: "Every game is a priority for me and we are not taking the Carling Cup any less seriously than the Premier League but we are going to make a number of changes.

"The reason for that is that I believe that we have good players champing at the bit and are ready to play and we showed that on Saturday.

"Young Mark Davies came off the bench and did well and he will start. Marcos Alonso and Rodrigo will both play too because they need games.

"We'll be doing something similar to what we did in the previous round at Southampton and be making eight or nine changes. If we hadn't got Gary Cahill and Jussi Jaaskelainen suspended then it might have been the whole team.

"The boys that have been on the periphery and the fringes need to play and Tuesday night gives them that opportunity."

Strategy: Coyle is happy with his 4-4-2 in the Premier League but may change the balance of that slightly with different personnel coming into the side. Matt Taylor is likely to partner Mark Davies in the central midfield with Ricardo Gardner and former Burnley man Robbie Blake on the flanks. Ivan Klasnic will partner Rodrigo in attack.

Injury Update: Andy O'Brien is absent with a torn hamstring sustained in the 1-1 draw with Aston Villa, while Sean Davis and Joey O'Brien are working their way back from long-term injures.

BURNLEY:
Burnley may deny it, but surely they will have a point to prove to their former manager. Coyle effectively left because he thought Bolton had the brighter future and the Clarets' players failed to recover from that last season. This season they have every chance of challenging for a play-off spot as they aim for an immediate return to the Premier League and have won each of their three home games this season.

"There is lot more spice to it and it's generated excitement," Laws told Burnley's website. "The supporters are so important and they will get he hearts pumping and generate that bit of extra spirit. I've got great respect for Owen and what he did at Burnley but you can see how the supporters feel. He should be proud of what he achieved here."