Wigan Athletic V Aston Villa Betting

Wigan Athletic V Aston Villa

Kick-off: Saturday, 18th December – 15:00 (GMT)
Venue: DW Stadium

Wigan Athletic

Latics chief Roberto Martinez has lamented his side’s recent bad luck with injuries and confirmed that as many as seven could be absent for this weekend’s home meeting with Aston Villa, whom they’ve not beaten in a Premier League contest since 2006. Victor Moses and James McCarthy won’t be available until the new year as the pair recover from long-term problems, while on-loan duo Franco Di Santo and Tom Cleverely are also carrying injuries, the former also out until January while the latter could play some part in proceedings on Saturday should he recover in time from a rib injury sustained in last weekend’s hard-fought draw with Everton.

This latest bout of absentee’s couldn’t have come at a worse time for Wigan, a club with a slim enough squad as it is, ahead of a hectic Christmas schedule which will see the Latics face six competitive matches, one an important FA Cup tie away to Hull City, in just three weeks. Because their schedule is so compact, Martinez will be livid with midfielder Hendry Thomas and full-back Maynor Figeuroa, with the pair picking up their fifth cautions of the season away on Merseyside last weekend meaning they’ll serve a one-match ban this weekend.

Matters on the pitch haven’t exactly given Roberto Martinez something to smile about either, with their 0-0 draw away to Everton last Saturday, albeit a decent result, stretching their winning drought to four matches as the Latics continue to struggle near the foot of the table. Victory on Saturday, however, would see them jump onto safe ground, and although their form isn’t strong enough to suggest they’re capable of clinching only their fourth set of three points this season, Wigan are a team which produce winning performances sporadically and after going four games without a win, are probably due one right about now. Coincided with their match day opponent’s struggling themselves near the foot of the table and, somewhat surprisingly, Wigan may actually look a half-decent betting proposition, at the odds anyway.

If Wigan are to end the drought over Christmas then chances are it will be at their home, the DW Stadium, where two of their three league victories thus far have come and where they’ve picked up ten points as opposed to the miserly six collected on their travels. But that doesn’t deflect from the real issue at hand which is their lack of goals. Last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Everton seen Wigan fail to score for the seventh time this season in a league contest, while even when they do manage to score twice in a fixture (2-2 Stoke City) they end up drawing the match. Though Wigan have scored in each of their last five home matches and will tackle a Villa side which last scored an away back over a month ago (220 Minutes without an away goal) away to Fulham.

Aston Villa

In spite of Gerard Houllier’s recent actions, where he ignored the travelling Villa support at Anfield and displayed a demeanour post-match of a man not too disheartened with the shambolic performance he had just seen from his side, the club have decided to rally round the Frenchman at a time when a civil war would only cause more unrest.

Aston Villa’s director, Charles Krulak, who was left stunned by the former Liverpool manager’s antics on Merseyside a fortnight ago, recently came out in support of the under-fire Villa manager, with fans livid with Houllier and now keen to see the back of their disillusioned coach. Houllier, though, is determined to see the storm through and his players did at least keep the raging fans off his back with a much-needed win last weekend, no matter how slim the margin of victory was. A 2-1 win over local rivals West Brom halted a losing sequence of three matches and handed Houllier only his third Premier League win as Villa manager. The performance wasn’t great, with the Baggies missing a glorious opportunity to restore parity right at the end, but, because of his Anfield misdemeanour’s, the Frenchman has got himself into a results business and the three points were just what the doctor ordered.

Goals from top-scorer Stewart Downing, who now has five league goals to his name for the term, and Emile Heskey, a player Houllier has transformed during his time in the Midlands, ensured some of the spotlight was taken off the manager. However their lacklustre league position still means Houllier is a man under immense pressure as the Villains haven’t had to endure a battle for survival for some time now and certainly didn’t anticipate one at the very beginning of the season, on the back of two nearly misses for a top-four finish. But they’re in one, and that’s the truth of the matter.

Injuries have had a large bearing on Villa’s underachieving start to the season, with so many key personnel still missing with injuries, but there are still a number of quality individuals at Houllier’s disposal, he just hasn’t been able to unlock their true potential. Ashley Young has been playing within himself all season, the England international rarely seen in games, certainly not in the moments actually worth highlighting, and so often the show has been run by Stewart Downing, although only because of his goals, and winger Marc Albrighton, who has been the only bright spark for Villa this season. It says it all when a team is relying on one of their youngsters to see them through even the most ordinary of affairs.

At face value, a fixture with Wigan, who occupy one of the relegation places, would be a stroll in the park for Aston Villa. In fairness, it should be even now, even with their numerous injuries. However this Villa side have been so inconsistent this season, although, ironically, they’ve been very consistent on their travels consistently sub-standard and extremely poor. On Saturday, in Greater Manchester and inside Wigan’s DW Stadium, Villa will go in search of just their second away win of the season and are aiming to stop the rot having lost back-to-back away matches in the league, four of their previous five also, scoring just twice in that same five match away span.

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Recent Form (Last 5):

Wigan Athletic

Premier League: Everton 0-0 Wigan Athletic
Premier League: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Stoke City
Carling Cup: Arsenal 2-0 Wigan Athletic
Premier League: West Ham United 3-1 Wigan Athletic
Premier League: Manchester United 2-0 Wigan Athletic

Aston Villa

Premier League: Aston Villa 2-1 West Brom
Premier League: Liverpool 3-0 Aston Villa
Carling Cup: Birmingham City 2-1 Aston Villa
Premier League: Aston Villa 2-4 Arsenal
Premier League: Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Aston Villa

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Head-to-Head (Premier League):

2009/2010: Wigan Athletic 1-2 Aston Villa
2009/2010: Aston Villa 0-2 Wigan Athletic
2008/2009: Aston Villa 0-0 Wigan Athletic
2008/2009: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Aston Villa
2007/2008: Aston Villa 0-2 Wigan Athletic
2007/2008: Wigan Athletic 1-2 Aston Villa
2006/2007: Aston Villa 1-1 Wigan Athletic
2006/2007: Wigan Athletic 0-0 Aston Villa
2005/2006: Wigan Athletic 3-2 Aston Villa
2005/2006: Aston Villa 0-2 Wigan Athletic

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Statistics (Premier League):

Wigan Athletic

League Position: 18th
Win-Draw-Lose: 3-7-7 (Home: 2-4-3)
Form: WLLDD (Home: WDDWD)
Goal Difference: 13-28 (Home: 8-17)
Top Goalscorer: Hugo Rodellega (4)

Aston Villa

League Position: 14th
Win-Draw-Lose: 5-5-7 (Away: 1-1-6)
Form: DLLLW (Away: LLDLL)
Goal Difference: 19-28 (Away: 5-18)
Top Goalscorer: Stewart Downing (5)

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Match Prediction: Aston Villa to WIN – 2.70 WilliamHill

The Latics could be without as many as seven players for the visit of Aston Villa, who have been battling against the very same predicament all season long. However, the hosts are unbeaten in their last four home encounters and after going their last four league contests without winning, are entering that sort of stage where they’re overdue a winning outcome. They somehow earned a point at Everton last time out despite spending the majority of the match on the back-foot defending their goal, creating next to nothing in the final third. You would expect better from them at the DW, especially against a Villa side which hasn’t travelled well this season, but, for one reason or another, we’ve taken to the visitors and after a hard-fought victory over locals West Brom last weekend, we fancy Villa to face their away demons head-on this weekend and put a depleted Wigan side to the sword.

Match Odds:

Wigan Athletic – 2.88 VictorChandler
Draw – 3.30 Coral
Aston Villa – 2.70 WilliamHill

Wigan Athletic V Aston Villa

Saturday, 9^th January – 15:00 GMT

MATCH POSTPONED – We regrettably have to inform you that the following game has been postponed due to severe weather conditions. Although the pitch has been confirmed as ‘playable’ the surrounding area; roads, pathways, steps etc… have been deemed a hazard and a risk to those fans who will attend the game. 

Wigan Athletic

League Position: 16th

Recent Form: LDLDL

(Wigan have failed to beat Aston Villa in their previous three attempts at the DW)

Roberto Martinez has taken a while to find his footing at Wigan but a win at home over a resurgent Aston Villa could take them four points clear of the relegation zone. However, were the Latics’ to falter in front of their home fans then the drop zone could beckon for them, although even a draw might see them spend the rest of the week as a relegation occupier. That’s what its like at the bottom nowadays, so evenly balanced that one result could heavily affect where you end up come the end of the weekend, which, in Wigan’s case, could be in dire straights.

After Wigan’s opening day heroics over Aston Villa, at Villa Park, there won’t have been too many ready and willing to lump on Wigan for the drop. However, their recent run of five leagues games without a win, a run which consists of three defeats and two draws, would indicate that Wigan are heading one way and one way only– down the table.

28^Th November, The DW Stadium, the setting for Wigan’s last league success; a 1-0 victory over Sunderland, but that was five matches ago and now their only league win in nine outings. The Latics didn’t manage a single in the month of December, nosediving into the new year with no form and very little momentum. Now, though, it’s imperative that they push on as a similarly bad month in January could see Wigan become accustomed to life in the basement of the Premiership.

A big boost to the confidence of those in the Wigan dressing room will have been their weekend FA Cup success; a 4-1 hammering of a hapless Hull City. Their reward was an away encounter with Notts County or Forest Green, so Wigan could actually progress as far as the fifth round this season, which could be seen as a double-edged sword considering that it might boost the morale of the troops but also take their minds off the real task at hand – avoiding relegation. Fitness levels will also take a dip as a trip to lower league opposition is never easy, so it will be interesting to see how Wigan fare in the forthcoming month or so as Wigan enter a critical stage of the season.

Aston Villa

League Position: 6th

Recent Form: WWWLL

(Haven’t lost three successive league fixture since April last year )

Martin O’Neill will have been chuffed to bits with his sides response to that bitter and late defeat to Liverpool. Villa wiped the floor with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, winning 3-1, but what came before that result was a potentially morale bashing defeat at home to Liverpool, unfortunately Villa’s most recent league encounter. The players, though, to their credit, responded in the perfect manner and, in combination with the knowledge that Villa lost to Wigan earlier on in the season, we expect Villa to be fired up for this contest as they aim to gain both revenge over the Latics’ and, more importantly, to get their season firmly back on track with all three points at the DW.

Villa were largely untroubled at home to Blackburn last Saturday, although they were made to sweat a tad when Blackburn pulled one back, despite Rovers being reduced to 10 men. Still, Villa hung on in their and duly got their rewards through progression, in which they will face one of the more easier ties in the next round; a home encounter with Brighton Hove & Albion. Martin O’Neill will be delighted with that draw as he will eye that fixture as a chance to use some of the fringe players once more as the league now takes on even more significance considering that Villa are firmly in the hunt for a top four finish for the second season running.

Progression in the cup was good but it will be nothing compared to what victory will feel like over Wigan this weekend. Villa’s priority this season is the league, without a doubt, and victory over Wigan will mean so much more to them than their 3-1 victory over Wigan last Saturday in the cup as it could potentially see them return to the top four. They would need those around them to slip up but it’s been one of those seasons where even the unthinkable tends to happen so the incentives are certainly there for Aston Villa heading into this clash.

However, we mustn’t get too carried away and neither should the Villa players as we must not forget that they have lost back-to-games in the league after defeats to Arsenal & Liverpool, the first time they have suffered two straight defeats this season, and defeat at Wigan could make it three successive defeats on the spin, what would be their first since April last year. Villa were, though, on a two match winning away streak before their defeat at The Emirates, but Villa’s away record on the whole does leave a lot to be desired (4-3-3). However, they’ll be desperate to return to winning ways on Saturday and eager to avenge their opening day defeat to the very same opponent.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Wigan Athletic W: 4 Aston Villa W: 2 Draw: 3

Last Meeting: Aston Villa 0-2 Wigan Athletic (15/08/09)

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Wigan lead the way in the h2h department, and to hear that Wigan have never lost at Villa Park in a Premiership fixture; drawing 2 but winning 2. However, they’ve also succumbed to defeat themselves at home on a couple of occasions and the regular pattern in previous meetings is that home advantage counts for nothing, with Wigan’s 3-2 win back in April, 2006, the only meeting going the way of the home side.

To sum it up; Wigan have won 1, lost 2, and drawn 1 at the DW against Aston Villa.

Match Verdict: Aston Villa to WIN – 2.38 Bet365

Villa are going through a tough spell at present but we think it’s just a blip and fancy Villa to bounce back with a win in the new year away at Wigan, a venue they’ve lost just once at in four visits. The players should require very little inspiration other than to look at their performance in their 2-0 defeat to Wigan earlier in the season for a reason as to why victory is so important this weekend, as well as losing two league games on the spin. A third would be catastrophic for Villa’s top four chances but also for the morale of the camp but we don’t expect that to happen this weekend. O’Neill gave some of his key players a welcomed rest on Saturday and we fancy a fresh Villa to sprint out of the blocks and come away from the DW with all three points.

Match Odds:

Wigan Athletic – 3.10 Bet365

Draw – 3.30 Expekt.com

Aston Villa – 2.38 Bet365

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Gabriel Agbonlahor Anytime Scorer – 2.80 VCbet

Odds correct as of 12:29; 4/1/10.