By Mark Heys
February 29 2008

Relegation threatened Bolton Wanderers hope to maintain their excellent recent home record against Champions League chasing Liverpool when the two sides meet at the Reebok Stadium on Sunday lunchtime.

Liverpool have won just once on their travels to the Reebok with Bolton winning three and drawing three of the seven meetings played since they left Burnden Park in 1997.

The Reds have the monopoly in the games between the two teams at Anfield however, as the reverse fixture in early December showed when the Wanderers lost by four goals to nil.

A Bolton away defeat against Blackburn Rovers the last time out didn't help their Premier League survival prospects so Gary Megson will be hoping that the side can continue their hoodoo over the Merseysiders.

Liverpool have recovered well since their FA Cup exit at the hands of Championship side Barnsley with wins against Inter Milan in the Champions League and a victory against Middlesbrough in the league a week ago.

Megson is able to pick from a more or less fully fit Bolton squad as they go in search of their first home league win since beating Derby County on 2nd January.

Midfielder Gavin McCann is doubtful with a back injury and striker Heidar Helguson is still a couple of weeks away from a return with a similar injury.

Danny Guthrie is ineligable to play against his parent club so Irish international Joey O'Brien may get his first league start in over a month.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez is without long term knee injury victim Andriy Voronin but Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Harry Kewell and Xabi Alonso are all pushing for places after starring for the reserves.

LAST TIME WE MET:

02/12/2007 LIVERPOOL 4 (Hyypia, Torres, Gerrard (Pen), Babel) BOLTON WANDERERS 0

BOLTON: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Jlloyd Samuel, Abdoulaye Meite, Lubomir Michalik, Ricardo Gardner, Ivan Campo, Gavin McCann, Gary Speed, Kevin Davies, Nicolas Anelka, El-Hadji Diouf (Stelios Giannakopoulos)

SUBS NOT USED: Christian Wilhelmsson, Andranik Teimourian, Mikel Alonso, Ali Al-Habsi (GK)

LIVERPOOL: Jose Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa, Sami Hyypia, Jamie Carragher (Jack Hobbs), John Arne Riise, Harry Kewell (Ryan Babel), Steven Gerrard, Lucas, Yossi Benayoun, Peter Crouch, Fernando Torres (Dirk Kuyt)

SUBS NOT USED: Javier Mascherano, Charles Itandje (GK)

ATTENDANCE: 43,270

PLAYED FOR BOTH:

Nicolas Anelka, Peter Beardsley, El-Hadji Diouf, Danny Guthrie, Roger Hunt, Sammy Lee, Jason McAteer, Phil Neal, Jon Otsemobor, Mark Seagraves, David Thompson, Peter Thompson, Johnny Wheeler

DID YOU KNOW?:

Liverpool's Xabi Alonso and Bolton's Mikel Alonso are brothers. Their father also played professional football in the 1970's.

Reds defender Jack Hobbs, currently on loan at Scunthorpe United, made his first Premier League appearance against Bolton earlier this season.

Sami Hyypia has scored four goals against Bolton in the Premier League.