Wigan Athletic V Birmingham City

Kick-off: Saturday 5^th December – 15:00 GMT

Venue: The DW Stadium

Wigan Athletic

League Position: 14th

Recent Form: WLDLW

The Wigan Jekyll & Hyde ride drags on as Wigan yet again after a miserable defeat. There is a familiar pattern forming with this Wigan side, one which we should all be accustomed to by now. The general rule of thumb when following Wigan this season is to back them after they been beaten and back agaisnt once they’ve won, so Saturday’s encounter should be an away banker for Birmingham – or not?!

On paper, this is a very good chance for Wigan to add yet more points to the board as Birmingham aren’t the best of sides. However, Wigan’s inconsistent nature is incredible and after winning last weekend, we would be obliged to leave them well alone this Saturday. In 14 fixtures this season, Wigan have won on give occasions but they have yet to win back-to-back games. In fact, like we’ve mentioned in every preview this season, Wigan have gone on to lose the very next fixture after they’ve won. This bizarre pattern of results has happened on four occasions thus far, so will the arrival of a stubborn Birmingham result in a fifth?

Roberto Martinez, the Wigan manager, will be hoping otherwise as Wigan’s position in the table is hardly a comfortable one. 14^th may look reasonable at first glance but they’re just five points above the drop zone and a defeat on Saturday could see them fall in more precarious ground, possibly even just two points away from embracing the relegation zone. The form book would say that Wigan will lose this game but we are inclined to think otherwise and have actually backed Wigan to win this weekend – God help us!

Wigan boast an effective home record this season, 3-2-2, with the pair of defeats coming in quick succession at the very beginning of the season, losing to both Wolves (0-1) and Man Utd (0-5). Since then, though, Wigan have won three and drawn twice, and so are unbeaten in six at the DW stadium. Even the likes of Chelsea, Man City & Sunderland have come a cropper against the beast that is Wigan Athletic.

Birmingham City

League Position: 11th

Recent Form: WDDWW

Considering Birmingham were one of the relegation favourites at the start of the season, their current league position of 11^th is a huge compliment to how they’ve approached their games and how hard they have had to work in order to pick up their points thus far. All their efforts has been fruitful as it’s produced a five match unbeaten run so they’ll be desperate to cling onto their undefeated status for as long as possible and even a draw would be a satisfactory result for them at The DW.

Three wins – Sunderland (2-1), Fulham (1-0) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (0-1), and two draws – Man City (0-0) and Liverpool (2-2), means Birmingham haven’t lost in in five outings, with this glorious run producing eleven points for them, lifting them into mid-table. For the time being they are randomly sat in 11^th position, a more than satisfactory for a club which are expected to fend off a relegation battle in May. However, victory for Alex McLeish’s men would not only be their third in a row but it could also see them jump right into the top ten.

Of course, Birmingham’s main objective this season it to stay as far away from the relegation zone as possible, and their recent hot run of form has helped them put six points between themselves and the bottom three. That doesn’t mean they can now lift their foot off the gas as the season is still young and it’s game such as this which Birmingham must take points from if they are to remain in the league. Their stubborn qualities – Plenty of men behind the ball, the quick closing down of players and their ability to actually keep hold of the ball and pass it around, need to shine through at The DW stadium because Wigan are a team for the taking.

We, however, think Birmingham’s valiant run could come to an abrupt end on Saturday. Birmingham are good at frustrating opponents but this generally only works against teams who thrive on playing attacking football. This shouldn’t really be effective against Wigan as they, too, like to frustrate opponents and a narrow, tight game could work in their favour, what with this being a home encounter for them. A draw would be a fantastic result for Birmingham as it would keep their unbeaten run alive and that certainly isn’t out of the question. However, the longer this game goes on without a goal, the more I would fancy Wigan to knick one.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Wigan Athletic W: 1 Birmingham City W: 2 Draws: 1

The last time these two met was back in the 2007/2008 season of which both sides managed wins at their own respective venues. Birmingham beat the Latics 3-2 at St. Andrews, while Wigan got their revenge later on in the season with a 2-0 victory over Birmingham at the JJB stadium, although it’s been newly named The DW stadium now. Same stadium, just a different name.

Match Verdict:- Wigan Athletic to WIN – 2.20 BetFred

With Wigan not the most powerful of attacking sides and Birmingham being a very strong defensive unit, preference is for a low scoring affair, one that we feel will favour Wigan Athletic. We expect chances to be few and far between but a scrappy goalmouth scramble or a piece of luck could decide how this game goes, and to whom. Hudo Rodallega has been the catalyst for some of Wigan’s early success, if you can it success, scoring six of their 15 goals this season, over a third of Wigan’s goals. Wigan have won twice this season by a 1-0 scoreline with Rodallega scoring on both occasions, and with this likely to be a tight affair, perhaps a punt on the same score with the same goalscorer could be a worthwhile venture.

Match Odds:

Wigan Athletic – 2.20 BetFred

Draw – 3.40 Bet365

Birmingham City – 3.80 Bet365

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Hude Rodellega FGS + Wigan Athletic to WIN – 9.00 WilliamHill