Liverpool v Bolton Head-to-Head: Post-WW2

Clashes between Bolton Wanderers and Liverpool after the Second World War have sided much more in the favour of Liverpool, who grew into a goliath of world football and enjoyed an aggregate score over Bolton of 93-74. Indeed, Wanderers haven't won a league match at Anfield since January 1954, despite a handful of recent home victories and dominant cup pedigree against the Mersysiders.

Directly after the war Bolton went on a four-game unbeaten streak against the Reds, before suffering a 3-0 home defeat in January 1949. Wanderers then went an impressive 11 matches without defeat against Liverpool, six of which were draws, and clashes between the two sides remained tight affairs until Liverpool's 3-0 victory at Anfield in September 1978 - thanks to a Jimmy Case hat-trick.

Between 1980 and 1995 the sides were restricted to three cup clashes until Bolton were promoted to the Premier League for the first time. Their first meeting with Liverpool in the new league wasn't a pleasant one as they were hammered 5-2 at Anfield, with Robbie Fowler scoring the first four and Steve Harkness adding the fifth alongside consolation goals from Andy Todd and a Mark Patterson penalty. Liverpool completed the double over Bolton that season with a 1-0 win at Burnden Park thanks to a Stan Collymore goal.

Wanderers' first win over Liverpool in the Premier League took five attempts, but came at the Reebok Stadium on 27th August 2001. Michael Ricketts opened the scoring shortly before the half hour mark, only for his goal to be equalised by now-Bolton man Emile Heskey. But a last minute goal from Dean Holdsworth saw Bolton claim all three points and sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League, yet that form obviously didn't persist and Sam Allardyce's men bravely avoided the drop in 16th position at the end of the season.

Liverpool have gone on to boss the majority of Premier League matches between the sides, with Wanderers only enjoying success in the league three times since that clash in 2001 - all at home. On 29th August 2004 a Kevin Davies goal saw Bolton claim a 1-0 victory for a side that contained Jay-Jay Okocha, Ivan Campo, Gary Speed and Fernando Hierro. And Nicky Hunt. Xabi Alonso and Luis Garcia both made their Liverpool debuts in that game.

Two years later, on 30th September 2006, Bolton recorded a 2-0 victory over Liverpool, with goals from Gary Speed and Ivan Campo sending Wanderers second in the Premier League. Bolton performed minor miracles under Allardyce that season, consistently challenging for the Champions League but eventually tailed off and qualified for the UEFA Cup by finishing in seventh place. A lack of resources and ambition led to Allardyce resigning three matches before the end of the season, and replaced disastrously by Sammy Lee.

Following that victory in 2006, Liverpool went on a ten match winning streak against Bolton - reflecting the gradual slide in Wanderers' form and quality. But Bolton put that rotten run to an end in the last meeting between the sides on 21st January 2012. Bolton ran out 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Mark Davies, Nigel Reo-Coker and Gretar Steinsson, but poor form and terrible luck - in the form of Stuart Holden's injury and Fabrice Muamba's collapse at Tottenham - meant this was the last season that Wanderers played in the Premier League.

Whites fans will hope that Bolton winning that last clash, as well as winning the first ever meeting between the sides and their cup dominance over Liverpool will be good omens come their FA Cup clash on Saturday.