Wolves boss Mick McCarthy expects nothing less than a tough and uncompromising battle ahead in Saturday's survival showdown with Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

 

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Bolton, last night beaten by Tottenham in their FA Cup Fifth Round replay, go into Saturday's clash without a goal in over five-and-a-half Barclays Premier League fixtures.

 

But that won't have any bearing on Wolves' preparation with Mick knowing Bolton will provide his team with a real challenge in a game which could have major significance on the two sides' aspirations to beat the drop.

 

"Bolton play 4-4-2 and have two big strikers up the pitch in Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies," said Mick.

 

"And they have Fabrice Muamba and Gardner playing in the middle of the park.

 

"The Korean, Chung-Yong Lee,  is a very good player, plays wide right and Matty Taylor plays wide left.

"They aren't out and out wingers, they play narrow.

 

"They try and play football but they will try and play it up to the two big lads aswell, and try and play off them.

"They're a big side - Zat Knight, Sam Ricketts, Elmander and Davies have got plenty of height.

"They're solid - Gretar Rafn Steinsson the right-back and Paul Robinson the left-back - they're a big, powerful team.

"They've got some good players and they are tough, there's no question. The keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen has been one of the best in the league for a long time."

 

The home crowd at the Reebok Stadium will be pumped up for a battle with Wolves, as they always are.

 

And the Wolves boss believes that can often work in two ways depending on how both teams start the game.

 

"Bolton will be hard to play against but they are certainly finding it difficult at the moment, like we all do if you aren't playing well and things aren't just going right.

 

"When that happens then the nerves come to all of us.

"If we play well we can try and exploit that but if we concede a goal after five minutes their crowd will be bouncing, don't worry about that!

 

"It'll be 'Super Whites' all the way - there'll all be going off!"

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