Lokomotiv Plovdiv (2) Preview

By Mark Heys
September 28 2005

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has a number of injury problems going into Thursday's UEFA Cup first round, second leg match-up with Bulgarian outfit Lokomotiv Plovdiv.

The game is to be held at the Naftex Stadium in the holiday resort of Bourgas as the usual venue in Plovdiv does not meet the standard requirements for European football.

Bolton are currently leading 2-1 from the first leg thanks to late goals from El-Hadji Diouf and Jared Borgetti which cancelled out an earlier strike from Loko forward Boban Janchevski.

Allardyce will definately be without Ivan Campo and Nicky Hunt for the trip to Bulgaria as both are currently sidelined for up to two months with foot and leg fractures respecively.

Furthermore the Wanderers boss will have to do without the services of Gary Speed (back) and Radhi Jaidi (hamstring), but Senegalese international Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye is back in contention after a groin injury kept him out of action for the Portsmouth game.

Stelios Giannakopoulos and El-Hadji Diouf may come back into the reckoning after being rested for the last game and Hidetoshi Nakata is likely to keep his place in the centre of midfield following an excellent display against Pompey.

Lokomotiv Plovdiv will once again be without the influential Martin Kambourov for this match as he is banned. Sasha Lazarevski, Nedyalko Hubenov, Radoslav Anev, Zoran Zlatkovski and Georgi Samokishev are all ineligable to play.

A win or draw in this game will take the Trotters through to the Group Stages of the competition and this will last until the New Year on a home, away basis over the course of five games.

Bolton Squad: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Ian Walker, Tal Ben-Haim, Bruno N'Gotty, Henrik Pedersen, Ricardo Gardner, Jarostaw Fojut, Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye, Kevin Nolan, Jay-Jay Okocha, Hidetoshi Nakata, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Fabrice Fernandes, Joey O'Brien, Kevin Davies, Jared Borgetti, El-Hadji Diouf