England Championship Betting Tips - Burnley v Bolton

England Championship Betting Predictions - Burnley v Bolton (18/08 15:00)

Traditional Lancashire derby as two old time rivals clash for the 1st time outside the Premiership in 12 years. Burnley face a struggle for survival in the championship as they go through financial turmoil. Bolton have what could be the strongest squad outside the top division. Bolton must regain their top flight status at the first try as Owen Coyle knows any time spent outside the Prem makes it harder to get back up.

Burnley have lost their star man in the summer with Jay Rodriguez leaving for £7 Million, they have since only re-invested £2 Million on defenders Jason Shackell  and Luke O'Neill with talented striker Sam Vokes checking in too. The rest of the cash has been used to shore up the balance sheet. Several squad members have left too as numbers have dwindled. The midfield is quite strong and all eyes are on highly rated young striker Charlie Austin. Bolton strengthened the spine of the team with central defender Matt Mills arriving with defensive midfielder Keith Andrews and Banik Afobe moving in. Bolton have an excellent squad and despite releasing over a dozen players it really does look like a team that can go places. Premiership experience is there and international class players abound. The defence is solid with four class central defenders. Holden and Lee in the centre of midfield is a great combination. Strikers Sordell, Davies and N'Gog should be amongst the goals.

Head to Head: Games Played:67

• Burnley Wins:31
• Draws:21
• Bolton Wins:15

Average goals per game:2.69

Predictions - Should be a full blooded game with local pride at stake. Looking down the starting elevens there is a big gap between the two sides. Burnley do have a decent midfield but Bolton excel in all areas. The only problem for me is the opening game derby means Burnley will be fired up and may be hard to break down. We take the insurance of the draw no bet. So Bolton Draw No Bet @1.84