Sir Alex Ferguson: 'Bolton will fight'

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has told his side to be prepared for a battle with relegation strugglers Bolton this afternoon.

Ferguson, whose side suffered a defeat to Blackburn – who are also in the relegation places – two weeks ago, insists that teams near the bottom of the table must be addressed with respect.

"When you play against a team at the bottom of the table – as we experienced against Blackburn – you've got to address it properly," he said.

"I know we went into the Blackburn game with respect for them, but it wasn't a great performance. We need a good performance against Bolton, because they're a team who will be battling for everything.

"That's the one thing you're guaranteed from these teams down at the bottom – they'll fight. Plus, of course, it's a local derby, which always adds something."

The Red Devils have suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time this season coming into this weekend.