Bolton are ready to stand up and be counted

The middle of the table is so tight that we just need to get a few wins on the board to start putting pressure on those UEFA Cup positions. Obviously the boss is still looking to bring in a few players to strengthen the squad and he´s taking his time to find the right people. Denilson trained with us and he showed that he has a lot of class. But that isn´t happening and the club has moved on.

We have a tough task coming up against Man United and having games against Arsenal and United back-to-back might not seem ideal, but in some ways it´s good to get the big matches in blocks. I felt we stepped up against Arsenal and I´m sure we can do it again against United.

A lot of people will be saying that history isn´t in our favour because United have won seven of the last eight games between us. But history is just that – the past. The teams have changed and statistics like that don´t have any bearing on this match. We beat them last year and although we lost 2-0 at Old Trafford earlier this year I felt we put in a really good performance and could have taken something from it.

Wayne Rooney will be out for this one but that just means that they´ll probably start with Carlos Tevez. Obviously Rooney is a fantastic player and if he was playing he would pose a big threat. But United is never about any one player. They can change the team about and there is quality cover for every position.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been able to bring in the best. Not just the best players in the world, but the players that are best for United. He knows when players need a rest and when they need to come back in. Perhaps they weren´t firing on all cylinders early in the season, but as always once they are into their stride they look really impressive. I thought they were really clinical in beating Chelsea last week and you´ve got to think they are favourites for the league this season.

Nobody at Bolton will have to be motivated to play in this one. These are games where you want to prove to some of the best players in the world that you can live with them, stand up to them and deserve to be on the same pitch. As a club we definitely believe we should be on the same pitch as United and believe we can beat them.

We´re at home so we will be expected to come out and attack and I´m sure we will. You have to see how the game goes, but we´ll definitely have a go. It is a local north-west derby and you want to win these ones for the fans as much as for yourself because you know they have to go to work with United fans and they´ll want the bragging rights. It´ll be a full house and hopefully there´ll be a great atmosphere.

We´ve got a couple of players coming back in like Gary Cahill and Gretar Steinsson and that will give us a few more options.

I´m confident we can beat United. The gaffer will have a game plan and so long as we stick to it there´s every chance of getting those three points.