Okocha in hotseat for Bolton

Bolton v Chelsea

Jay-Jay Okocha again skippered Bolton despite recent comments claiming he is tired and the suggestion from boss Sam Allardyce he would rest the Nigerian.

Allardyce and Okocha were looking to arrest a run of three successive defeats against a Chelsea side who went into the game on the back of a four-game winning run away from home in the Premier League.

Former Chelsea defender Emerson Thome returned to the Wanderers line-up after missing last week’s defeat at Birmingham with an ankle injury, while Henrik Pedersen and Stelios

Giannakopoulos also started, the latter replacing hamstring injury victim Youri Djorkaeff.

With first-choice goalkeepers Carlo Cudicini and Neil Sullivan both sidelined through injury, Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri handed a league debut to Mario Ambrosio, a free transfer signing from Chievo last summer, with untried 18-year-old Yves Makabu-Makalambay on the bench.

Strikers Eidur Gudjohnsen and Adrian Mutu were both serving suspensions, so Ranieri opted for Hernan Crespo and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink in attack, the latter starting his 150th game for Chelsea and looking for his 100th Premiership goal.

Bolton:

Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Thome, N’Gotty, Charlton, Campo, Giannakopoulos, Nolan, Okocha, Pedersen, Davies. Subs: Poole, Frandsen, Ba, Javi Moreno, Howey.

Chelsea:

Ambrosio, Gallas, Desailly, Terry, Bridge, Gronkjaer, Geremi, Lampard, Duff, Hasselbaink, Crespo. Subs: Makaba-Makalamby, Cole, Melchiot, Parker, Huth.

Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire)