Wolverhampton Wanderers V Wigan Athletic

Saturday, 16^th January – 15:00 GMT

Wolverhampton Wanderers

League Position: 15th

Recent Form: WLWLL

Winnable fixtures don’t come around that often when you’re a Wolves fans but a home game with a beleaguered Wigan, albeit a winning one in their last outing, does represent a glorious opportunity for Wolves to add another win to their league tally of five thus far. The Wolves’ were beaten in their last home outing by an in form Man City but the last two teams before City were sides in close prolixity to Wolves in the table and Mick McCarthy’s men duly dispatched both. Will Wigan Athletic fall to a similar fate on Saturday? 

A narrow 1-0 victory at Tranmere won’t have set the world alight for Wolves fans but it did end a run of two successive defeats in the league. The trip to Tranmere was a brisk change from some of their recent league fixtures; tough games with Man City & Liverpool in which Wolves suffered defeats in both despite playing some good, entertaining football in both. However, Wolves were far from convincing at Tranmere but we suppose at least the job is done and the fans can now look forward to their next cup encounter, a home tie with Crystal Palace.

For now, though, and more importantly, Wolves must divulge their full attention on their next task at hand – A home encounter with a struggling Wigan. Now… Wolves might be without a win in two after back-to-back defeats to Man City & Liverpool but their opponents this Saturday are suffering a far worse lull in form and are without a win in their last five games. Moreover, Wolves have boosted their credentials with two wins from their last three home fixtures after beating both Burnley (2-0) and Bolton (2-1) in December. Those pair of wins have lifted Wolves out of the relegation zone and a win over the Latics would see them remain on safe ground… for now.

It’s safe to say that Wolves have been a lot better at home, both in results and displays, but are still not completely comfortable in front of their home fans, at least from a backers point of view. Their record at Molineux this season stands at 3-2-5 but it’s worth mentioning that, although this recent good run of form at home should boost the players confidence levels, Wolves were struggling to perform at home in the very beginning of the season and did manage just one home win in seven before their quick-fire back-to-back successes over Burnley & Bolton. They are clearly a team that thrive on confidence and momentum but after two straight defeats in the league will that have an adverse effect on their performance at the weekend, or will they see their 1-0 victory in the cup as a building block for a better new year?

Wigan Athletic

League Position: 16th

Recent Form: LDLDL

Any game Wigan are involved in these days we tend to steer well clear as they are just so damn unpredictable. However, for a Wigan side without a win in five and winless in their last five away outings, surely there is no easier opportunity for them to put an end to such a baron run than a trip to Molineux. However, five games without a win, three defeats in five and conceding five goals in their last outing (That number 5 is appearing a lot) we can only presume that a demoralised Wigan side will be travelling to Molineux on Saturday in a game they simply have to get something out of to avoid falling into a confidence sapping pit.

Wigan are rapidly becoming a team in serious trouble after not only a poor run of results but also a dreadful set of performances. Scoring goals, surprisingly, hasn’t been much of a problem for Roberto Martinez’s side, despite the Spaniard opting for just one striker in most outings, but keeping a clean and a tidy defence has been close to impossible. Wigan may have scored a reasonable tally of 6 goals in their last five league games but they’ve shipped a frightening amount in return – 13.  

However, the Wigan C.V reads a whole lot worse when you delve into their diabolical away record. The Latics, under Roberto Martinez, have managed to notch up just two away wins all season, with their away recording standing in at 2-1-7. However, it gets a whole lot worse when I read out their dire away goal difference of negative 20. A Wigan offence led solely by a hard-working Rodellega has only managed 11 away goals this season but have shipped a mammoth 31 in return – the worst away defensive record in the league… A shared honour with Burnley.

Wigan’s performances of late have left a lot to be desired, especially in defence which is an area where Martinez has done little to bolster nor improve as of yet. Their defending at times is laughable, or cry able if you’re a Wigan fan, with a distinct lack of quality, organisation, grit, determination, effort… we could quite literally go on. Wigan, while their defence is performing this bad, are a lost cause to us and we won’t be backing them for quite some time to come. At least not until we some vast improvements in their back four.

Match Verdict: Wolverhampton Wanderers to WIN – 2.30 totesport

To be brutally honest we wouldn’t touch this game with a barge pole, such is the little appeal this match has on us. However, we have to pick a result and Wolves get the nod… only just mind. Mick McCarthy’s side have been miles better at Molineux and they often start their home games at a fast pace. If they were to sprint out of the blocks then Wigan might not be prepared for an early assault, or any assault for that matter judging by their defensive displays this season. It doesn’t have the makings of a classic but a big game nevertheless for both sides as three points would be hugely significant for the winner.

Match Odds:

Wolverhampton Wanderers – 2.30 totesport

Draw – 3.30 BlueSquare

Wigan Athletic – 3.40 BlueSquare

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Wolves/Wolves (HT/FT Betting) – 4.00 PaddyPower