By Mark Heys
October 5 2007

Sunday afternoon sees Bolton Wanderers at home for the second time in four days with FA Cup winners Chelsea making the visit to the Reebok Stadium in what is an important match for both teams and their supporters.

Wanderers are five games unbeaten after their 1-0 win over FK Rabotnicki in the UEFA Cup on Thursday but they desperately need a win in the Premiership to help them climb out of the relegation zone.

Opponents Chelsea are also in need of the points and are looking for their first win since Israeli coach Avram Grant replaced Jose Mourinho at the end of last month.

Recent results between the two sides work in the Blues favour, with Chelsea looking for their fifth consecutive win at the Reebok since the latter end of the 2003-2004 campaign.

However, like back in April when the two sides last met, Bolton are capable of springing a surprise and it would be sods law if the Wanderers pulled off a shock result after their dismal run in the league.

Bolton manager Sammy Lee could be without Spanish midfielder Mikel Alonso after he was taken to hospital with a head injury during the half time interval of the game against Rabotnicki.

Jlloyd Samuel (hamstring), Heidar Helguson (ankle) and knee injury victims Ricardo Vaz-Te and Blerim Dzemaili join Alonso in receiving treatment and will therefore miss out.

Chelsea boss Grant is without the suspended Didier Drogba and John Obi Mikel but England duo Frank Lampard and John Terry should be involved with the latter wearing a special mask to protect a cheekbone injury.

German midfielder Michael Ballack, the Blues matchwinner last time they made the trip to Bolton, will be out of action until the middle of this month with an ankle injury.

Former Wanderers favourite Tal Ben-Haim should be in the visitors squad as he makes his first return to the Reebok Stadium since leaving over the close season.

It will be a tall order for Bolton as they go in search of their first home win against Chelsea in a decade but three points would ultimately boost the Trotters chances of moving up the league table and getting nearer to their first target of forty points.

Bizarrely  it is more or less a full Premiership programme on Sunday with only Aston Villa's home game against West Ham United taking place tommorow at the traditional 3pm kick off time.

Manchester United also take on local rivals Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford tommorow but their game will take place early in the day with a lunchtime kick off time.

LAST TIME WE MET:

28/04/2007 CHELSEA 2 (Kalou 22, Jaaskelainen 34 (OG) BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Michalik 19, Davies 54)

BOLTON WANDERERS: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Ivan Campo, Abdoulaye Meite, Lubomir Michalik, Ricardo Gardner, Andranik Teimourian, David Thompson (Ricardo Vaz-Te), Gary Speed, Idan Tal (James Sinclair), Kevin Davies, Nicolas Anelka (Cesar Martin)

SUBS NOT USED: Blazej Augustyn, Ali Al-Habsi (GK)

CHELSEA: Petr Cech, Geremi, Ricardo Carvalho (Frank Lampard), John Terry, Wayne Bridge, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Essien, Lassana Diarra (Joe Cole), John Obi Mikel, Andrij Shevchenko (Didier Drogba), Saloman Kalou

SUBS NOT USED: Khalid Boulahrouz, Carlo Cudicini (GK)

PLAYED FOR BOTH:

Anthony Barness, Tal Ben-Haim, Jack Bradley, Robert Fleck, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Gerry Peyton, Emerson Thome, Danny Winter

DID YOU KNOW?

Lubomir Michalik scored his first goal for Bolton the last time these two sides met. In the same game James Sinclair and Cesar Martin both made their Wanderers debuts.

That game in April proved to be Sam Allardyce's last as Bolton Wanderers manager as a day later he handed in his resignation after seven and a half years in charge.

Bolton won the first ever Reebok Stadium meeting between these two teams in November 1997 with Dean Holdsworth scoring the all important goal, his first since making a record £3.5 million move from Wimbledon.

The Trotters also won the last two meetings at Burnden Park, with the last being a 2-1 League Cup win in October 1996 which sadly also proved to be the last ever game for Chelsea director Matthew Harding prior to his untimely death in a helicopter crash after the game.

Former Chelsea chairman Ken Bates wrote a one off article in the Bolton Wanderers programme when they faced the Blues in March 2004.