Bolton vs Liverpool

Matchday for Liverpool, and it's already started off quite well with Chelsea dropping points at Norwich which you would have probably expected them to win in all fairness - even taking into account the Torres drag factor they should really have had enough to deal with Norwich - but it opens the door to make up some ground on them.

Also, we have Arsenal vs Man Utd tomorrow - which given the 8-2 spanking Arsenal received earlier in the season would suggest the possibility of more points being dropped for the teams we're chasing. Not that I'll be wanting the scum to pick up anything tomorrow, although the squad coming down with rickets would be quite entertaining - if they do take any points off Arsenal then it would do our cause no harm at all.

It is kind of set up for us to take advantage on current form.. Bolton have dipped alarmingly this season, which is something of a surprise as under Owen Coyle they actually started playing actual football - passing the ball to each other and everything.

Maybe they are suffering a kind of second season (under Coyle) syndrome that promoted teams like Ipswich and Reading are examples of. Play quite well in first season, until the more established teams get used to them and figure them out - at which point they get relegated. Blackpool managed this in just the one season last year, which was something of an achievement.

Bolton's home form this season has been appalling - In the last 12 home league games they have lost 10 - although weirdly the one game they did win was 5-0 against Stoke, which does put our result last week into perspective (although this was the Sunday after Stoke had been playing in Israel).

Our away form recently has wobbled a little in the league - 1 win in 4 in the league, but one of those was at Man City, which was rectified in the Carling Cup performance recently. They away form generally this season has been encouraging - 6 wins on the spin earlier this season, which was unheard of in our more recent past as away wins were at something of a premium, especially under Hodgson.

Also, Bolton have recently lost Gary Cahill to Chelsea, which isn't going to help their chances any today.

All this, plus Liverpool's recent record of 6 wins on the trot against Bolton, and you would hope we turn in a performance and get the points required to get in the right frame of mind, for the more than likely stiffer challenge on Wednesday.

But that is getting ahead of ourselves, if we keep focus we should have enough to pick up all 3 points - but you could say that about many of our performances this season where we have not really capitalised (although mainly at home.)

Also, I am quite confident about today, which is usually quite a bad sign - but on the plus side I'm bricking it about Man City on Wednesday so that one should be much easier.