Bolton Wanderers vs. Arsenal: Preview, Live Stream, Start Time and More

It's back to the drawing board for Arsenal, who will look to get back on track in their pursuit of a top-four finish in the English Premier League when they face Bolton Wanderers at Reebok Stadium on Wednesday.

The Trotters are on a bit of a hot streak at the moment, winning their last three matches overall and two of their last three in the EPL. The Gunners, on the other hand, haven't won a league fixture since late December, with FA Cup triumphs over Leeds United and Aston Villa serving as the lone respites from their domestic agony.

Arsenal dominated Bolton when they last met in September, with Robin van Persie putting through two goals, including his 100th as a Gunner, in a 3-0 rout.

Where: Reebok Stadium, Manchester, England

When: Wednesday, February 1st at 3:00 p.m. EST

Watch: Fox Soccer Channel

Live Stream: FoxSoccer.tv

Player to Watch for Bolton: Ivan Klasnic

Scoring has been a struggle for Bolton this season, though Ivan Klasnic has contributed more than his fair share to the cause. The 32-year-old German striker leads the Trotters in goals (seven) and assists (four) in just his second season at Reebok Stadium.

Klasnic has never scored against the Gunners, but will certainly need to if Bolton are to have any shot at springing the upset.

Player to Watch for Arsenal: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Don't get me wrong, Robin van Persie is still well worth tracking on the pitch—his two penalty-kick goals against Aston Villa on Sunday served as a clear reminder of that.

But in the interest of variety (not to mention rapid improvement), keep a watch out for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Arsene Wenger's £12 million investment has started to pay off handsomely, with the 18-year-old registering his first EPL assist against Manchester United and creating a number of chances against Villa.

Wenger came under fire after the 2-1 loss to United for his decision to remove the youngster in the second half in favor of Andrei Arshavin, who ended up playing a key role in yet another agonizing defeat for the Gunners.

All told, Oxlade-Chamberlain has infused new life into the Gunners' impotent attack behind RVP. Whether he continues to do so may well determine in which direction in the table Arsenal move from here on out.

Key Matchup: Robin van Persie vs. Bolton's Backline

Bolton's rear guard has been the very worst in the Premiership all season, surrendering more goals (47) than any other club at the top flight of English football.

And that was before the Trotters sold Gary Cahill to Chelsea.

Now, they'll be asked to hold down the EPL's hottest striker in Robin van Persie, who's found the net four times in six career appearances against Bolton, two of which came the last time out.

So unless Bolton have suddenly discovered to secret to subduing RVP, they might as well add another notch to the loss column right now.

What They're Saying

Who says Americans aren't cut out to play football at the highest level?

The stream of Yanks into Europe continued this week with the announcement that New York Red Bulls defender Tim Ream had signed for Bolton. The 24-year-old inked a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Trotters, whose manager, Owen Coyle, had this to say about the club's latest import:

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''First and foremost we are absolutely delighted to secure Tim's services. He is a US international, a player that year on year has progressed and got better, and he will continue to do that.

''He was trailed by a number of clubs, including West Brom and also Arsenal, who tried to sign him in the summer, so it is great that he sees his future here.

''Tim is everything that we want in the players we are bringing to the club when we spend in the transfer market. He is young, has a tremendous attitude and a winning mentality. I know he will fit in well with the rest of the squad here at Bolton.''

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As for Arsenal, the surprise over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's rapid rise toward stardom isn't restricted to observant Gooners. Even Arsene Wenger, who carefully plucked the starlet away from Southampton this summer, is amazed with how the young winger has come along of late.

So amazed, in fact, that Wenger is practically lobbying England boss Fabio Capello to add Oxlade-Chamberlain to the national squad for Euro 2012:

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"You cannot rule it out and it is not because you are young that you cannot play. We will see in the next three months and if he does well, why not?

"We live in a world of immediacy. I would not have expected him to be so mature in September because he still looked like a boy. Now suddenly he looks like he can take pressure and that he has the personality to produce under pressure.

"But he has only really played one game at the top, so let's see how well he does.''

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Prediction: Arsenal 2, Bolton 1

A recent convergence of form between Arsenal (poor) and Bolton (good) will make this match more contentious than the last between these two, though the Gunners will once again prove too powerful on the attack for the Trotters' backline to handle.

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