Newcastle vs Bolton Betting tips

Sam Allardyce's bold Bolton side sail into St James' Park to square up against Newcastle in their Premiership encounter on Sunday, but the stats are stacked against them getting anything from the fixture. You have to go back to 1959 for when the Trotters last beat the Toon Army in their own backyard - since then they have played 12 league matches at St James', losing on ten occasions and gaining a point from the other two bouts. Until last season, Bolton's away form had been pretty dire, but 'Big' Sam has clearly been working on this fundamental shortcoming within his side, and while they are still not quite the same outfit on their travels as they are at the Reebok, it's certainly an area in which they are improving. Currently, Bolton are riding high in third place, with a yawning gap to the Magpies in thirteenth. However, Newcastle are starting to warm to the task now and there seems to be more cohesion amongst those bearing the black and white stripes. Newcastle lost just three of their 19 home fixtures last term and remain solid on Tyneside. Glen Roeder's men lost no caste when drawing 1-1 with an in-form Everton side in their latest Premiership home match, and they went onto ensure that their European adventure continues when outpointing Levadia Tallinn by two goals to one at home in the UEFA Cup subsequently. Bolton also come into this match on good terms with themselves having beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park before producing a superb performance at the Reebok to beat the comparatively mighty Liverpool 2-0, a game in which they demonstrated just how hard they are to break down defensively. Newcastle's key man in the continued absence of Michael Owen is likely to be Obafemi Martins. The 21-year-old Nigeria international took time to find his feet in the Premiership, but his star appears to be rising after he gained a confidence-boosting first league goal against West Ham on September 17. The ex-Inter man, who cost the Magpies £10million during the summer, proved what a lethal finisher he is when rifling home both of his side's goals against Levadia Tallinn recently, and know that he has the bit between his teeth I can see him becoming a prolific scorer. At 7/1 with VCBet(as short as 9/2 in a place), Martins looks value to score first. Newcastle have achieved add attacking impetus through the more direct approach taken by Scott Parker this season. The skipper, who played for 72 minutes during England's defeat against Croatia in Zagreb, can continue to develop his offensive prowess alongside the likes of Antoine Sibierski and Charles N'Zogbia. Stephen Carr, who missed the Republic Or Ireland's midweek match with the Czech Republic through a hamstring injury, is likely to be fit for this match. The arrival of Nicolas Anelka has bolstered Bolton's attacking options. Whether Allardyce chooses to pair the France international with Kevin Davies, El Hadji Diouf or the exciting Portugese prospect, Ricardo Vaz Te, for example, his team remain a menace, while the evergreen Garry Speed, Kevin Nolan and Stylianos Giannakopoulos are all midfielders with an eye for goal. It's not hard to envisage at least three goals being scored in this fixture. Indeed, in the last ten games between the two sides an average of 2.8 goals per encounter have been scored. With this in mind, I'm pretty confident that having a pretty meaty wager on 3+ in the total goals market at 5/4 with Stan James will prove profitable. A competitive and physical clash looks on the cards here. If put on the spot to suggest a likely winner, I'd be inclined to side with Newcastle given their home record against the Trotters. But, that said, I wouldn't be in the least bit surprise if Bolton emerged from the footballing carnage that is likely to ensue with a point. Verdict: 1pt Obafemi Martins in the first goalscorer market @ 7/1 (VCBet)5pts 3+ goals in the total goals market @ 5/4 (Stan James)