Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher expects a battle today against Bolton Wanderers.

Unlike Liverpool and Arsenal, Ferguson's side have tended to enjoy themselves against their local rivals, although usually it involves plenty of early struggles.

"A trip to Bolton is always difficult," said Fletcher.

"When Manchester United are in town, the fans get up for it and the players get up for it.

"At Bolton, taking our scalp means a lot. We know what to expect from them."

Given the way he got Burnley to play, there was a theory Owen Coyle would introduce a more cultured approach on his arrival at Bolton last January.

If that is true, the impact is not immediately obvious to Fletcher, who expects Kevin Davies to be in the thick of the action as usual.

"Maybe they are more of a footballing side but they still have that physical threat," he said.

"Owen Coyle is trying to stamp his mark on the team but the personnel is more or less the same. When you have two strikers like Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander, who are big and strong and powerful in the air, they are bound to try and get the ball into our penalty box from wide positions as quickly as possible.

"That is their strength and we will have to deal with it."