AZ Alkmaar Preview

By Mark Heys
August 11 2006

Bolton Wanderers hope to end their disappointing pre-season tenure with a win tommorrow afternoon as they take on last season's Dutch Everidisie runners up AZ Alkmaar at the Reebok Stadium.

The Wanderers lost both games of their Spanish tour earlier this week so manager Sam Allardyce will be looking for his injury ravaged side to regain a winning mentality against Alkmaar just a week before the league season kicks off.

Kevin Davies, Joey O'Brien, Abdoulaye Faye, Ricardo Gardner, Henrik Pedersen and Nicky Hunt are all missing through injury but Stelios Giannakopoulos and Ivan Campo may be handed their first full starts since the end of last season.

Finnish international Jussi Jaaskelainen could return in goal for the game after missing the defeat against Sevilla and new boy Abdoulaye Meite will get a further chance to impress at the heart of the defence.

Alkmaar lost the opening game at their new stadium to Arsenal last weekend but they are boosted by the news that top scorer Shota Arveladze has commited his future to the club.

The former Rangers man was one of the leading goalscorers in Dutch football last season and his goals where a huge factor in helping the club gain an unlikely finish behind champions PSV Eindhoven.

Icelandic midfielder Joey Gudjonsson, once of Aston Villa, Wolves and latterly Leicester City is also likely to feature in tommorow's game at some point as is giant Australian goalkeeper Joey Didulica.