Hull v Bolton preview

Megson: Under pressure

PREDICTIONS:

Skysports.com prediction: Hull 1 Bolton 1
Sky Bet odds: Hull 11/10 Draw 12/5 Bolton 5/2
One to Watch: Geovanni
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Hull will be hoping to get back on track following defeats to Chelsea and Manchester United when they face Bolton on Saturday.

The Tigers remain sixth in the Premier League table despite losing to last season's top two teams, and produced another battling display as they went down 4-3 at Old Trafford.

They have so far collected 20 points but Phil Brown's focus is still survival and, with all the sides in the bottom half of the table scrapping hard, the manager will regard the clash with struggling Bolton as crucial.

Captain Ian Ashbee is available again following suspension and is likely to come straight back into the Hull starting XI.

However, Brown has hinted that there could be one or two surprise selections so Bernard Mendy and Stelios Giannakopoulos may also be given opportunities against their former club.

Record signing Anthony Gardner will not play due to a thigh injury.

Bolton pressure

There has been speculation that Brown, a former Bolton player and assistant boss to Sam Allardyce, could replace Gary Megson at the Reebok Stadium.

Brown has dismissed the reports and Megson eased the pressure on himself as Bolton beat Manchester City 2-0 last Sunday to climb off the foot of the league.

The Trotters remain in deep trouble and have only won three games all season, but another three points could lift them into mid-table.

Johan Elmander is set to return to the side after recovering from the groin strain that kept him out of the clash with City.

Riga Mustapha is also in contention despite picking up an ankle problem in the first half of the contest, but Ricardo Vaz Te has been hit with the news that he faces nine months on the sidelines following knee surgery.

Kevin Nolan is suspended so Gavin McCann is set to keep his place in midfield.

Possible starting XIs

Hull: Myhill, McShane, Zayatte, Turner, Dawson, Mendy, Ashbee, Boateng, Geovanni, Cousin, King.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Riga, McCann, Muamba, Taylor, Elmander, Davies.