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Coyle convinced Bolton will survive Bolton boss Owen Coyle feels there are plenty of twists and turns to come yet in the scrap for Barclays Premier League survival and that it is not only the current bottom six who could be involved.

Wanderers, who lie 18th at the moment, take on basement boys Wigan at the Reebok Stadium on a potentially vital weekend for the relegation shake-up, with Blackburn (19th) hosting QPR (16th) the same day and Wolves (17th) taking on West Brom (15th) in a Black Country derby at Molineux on Sunday.

The way things stand, it looks as if it will be three of those clubs who go down, but Coyle does not think the equation is so simple.

Asked if he saw it as three teams from those six getting relegated, Coyle said: "People will think that is how it is, but this league changes so quickly and is unforgiving.

"All of a sudden you can go on one of those runs that happen out of the blue for no reason, so I wouldn't just leave it as three from six." Coyle has no doubt that every one of the teams' managers is fully confident they can beat the drop - and remains adamant that his own side will be safe.

"I think we all believe we can get out of it," Coyle said.

"From my end, I can only look at Bolton Wanderers and look to make sure we do that, but I'm pretty sure Steve Kean (Blackburn) and Roberto Martinez (Wigan) feel the same, as well as Mick McCarthy (Wolves), Mark Hughes (QPR) and Roy Hodgson (West Brom).

"It is so intriguing and that is why we love the league - it is the best league in the world.

"We will all have our own beliefs about how we will go about it with the players we have.

"But from our end, I am totally convinced that we will be out of the bottom three come the end of the season." United States centre-back Tim Ream is set to be part of the matchday squad for the first time, along with fellow January recruit Ryo Miyaichi, the Japanese winger signed on loan from Arsenal for the rest of the season.

Gretar Steinsson (hamstring) and Joe Riley (groin) may return having missed the Norwich fixture but fellow defender Marcos Alonso (foot) is not ready yet while midfielders Lee Chung-yong (broken leg) Stuart Holden and Ricardo Gardner (both knee) remain out of action due to long-term problems, with the latter looking set to miss the remainder of the campaign following surgery.

Martinez believes his struggling team have turned the corner in their battle for survival despite their lowly position.

Wigan are bottom of the Barclays Premier League and surrendered two vital points as Everton hit back to claim a 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium last week.

But the Spaniard was pleased enough with the performance, after four successive league defeats, to approach the remainder of the campaign with confidence.

Martinez said: "At the end of the game you always feel like you have dropped two points, especially when you score that first goal and have an opportunity to score the second.

"But overall I felt we played really well. We were back to ourselves, we controlled the game and made it very difficult for Everton.

"They are always a very competitive side, one of the most hard-working in the league and I felt we played really well.

"For me that was a real change in level of performance. We were not happy with the levels we showed at Spurs and QPR.

"I think it is important we find a very consistent level between now and the end of the season.

"I do feel that was a real turning point for us going into the last third of the campaign." Martinez is well aware Saturday's encounter is likely to be a tense affair.

The two clubs - these days less than eight miles apart following their moves to modern stadia - have enjoyed a fierce local rivalry for decades and this year the stakes are high.

Bolton are only four points better off than Latics in the fight to avoid the drop and, with 14 games left, the margins for error are narrowing.

Martinez said: "We are looking at our home games and feeling we have to win every single one of them. It is going to be the same for Bolton.

"It is a big derby for ourselves. It is always a special game but now this season, with both clubs fighting to avoid relegation, it has got an extra meaning.

Bolton vs Wigan

Last modified 17:12 11/02/12

McArthur gives Latics lifeline James McArthur handed rock-bottom Wigan a Barclays Premier League lifeline with a dramatic late winner to sink fellow strugglers Bolton 2-1 at the Reebok Stadium.

Roberto Martinez's men still sit at the bottom of the pile but the importance of McArthur's 75th minute strike will not be underestimated as it drew the Latics back into the pack.

McArthur swept home the rebound after Victor Moses' effort had struck Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan and rebounded into his path - and it was everything the visitors deserved.

Martinez's side largely dominated against a flat home side with huge problems of their own. Gary Caldwell scored their 43rd-minute opener before Mark Davies equalised on 67.

And to cap Wigan's wonderful day, former Trotters keeper Ali Al Habsi pulled off a sensational late save to deny Bolton debutant Ryo Miyaichi an equaliser.

Caldwell's headed opener had been the least the Latics deserved for dominating a nervy and disjointed first period in which the home side seldom threatened.

The best Owen Coyle's men could muster was a second-minute cross from Martin Petrov which was bundled out for a corner by captain Caldwell.

The visitors grew in confidence and Victor Moses came close to grabbing an early lead when he skipped between two defenders before ramming a rising shot into the side netting.

Zat Knight scooped a shot over the bar for Bolton and Franco Di Santo screwed a long-range effort over for Wigan in response but scrappy build-up play was letting both sides down.

In what was plainly a scrap between strugglers, Wigan were having much the better of possession and Jordi Gomez was not far from getting his head to a Jean Beausejour cross.

Pinned back in their own half, Coyle's men were frankly dismal, and it was only Wigan's chronic lack of a final ball that was keeping the home side level.

The visitors finally broke the deadlock two minutes from the break when Beausejour sent in a corner from the left and Caldwell rose to nod home unchallenged.

Forced to go on the offensive, Coyle replaced Petrov with the on-loan Arsenal teenager Miyaichi at half-time, but it was the visitors who continued to press forward.

More dithering in the Bolton backline let in Emmerson Boyce to strike a low shot just wide of Bogdan's right-hand post when he should have done better.

Di Santo was denied a penalty when he fell under Knight's challenge in the box and Boyce also had a loud appeal rejected after tussling with Miyaichi.

Wigan came close to extending their lead on the hour when Moses skipped past Sam Ricketts and fed McArthur, who drove low straight at Bogdan.

After promising work from Miyaichi, Bolton finally crafted their first shot on target in the 61st minute when David Wheater's long, low drive was gathered by Ali Al Habsi.

And they snatched an equaliser six minutes later when Bogdan's long goal kick deflected off David Ngog and fell to Davies, who crashed his left-foot shot into the top corner.

Miyaichi had his moments in the inevitable storm that followed, but Bolton paid the price for more sloppy defending in the 76th minute as Wigan regained the lead.

Ricketts' attempted back header gave Moses a clear run on goal on the left and when his shot struck Bogdan it rebounded to McArthur to follow up into the net.