Aston Villa remained safe despite the 2:1 defeat to West Brom at the weekend, although the Villans will be looking to return to winning ways when they play host to Wigan. The Latics remained in the bottom three as they couldn’t beat Everton and are now looking to get something from Villa Park.

Villa looking to improve

Aston Villa players must be happy that this season is finally drawing to a close considering all the problems the team encountered this term. The departure of Martin O’Neill, numerous injury problems and the incident between Gerard Houllier and a couple of first team players all left a negative effect on the atmosphere surrounding the team, but Villa, nonetheless, managed to escape the relegation zone and ensure survival and are now looking to end the season on a high after all. With players like Downing, Young, Agbonlahor and Bent in the side, there is no doubt that Villa have enough quality to beat under-pressure Wigan and I believe that the absence of pressure will help the hosts a great deal in this match. Villa have shown some improvement in back to back wins over Newcastle and West Ham, while this is a great opportunity for them to return to winning ways.

Emile Heskey returns to contention after recovering from a knee problem, while Richard Dunne should also be fit to play. Jean II Makoun is a doubt with a dead leg.

Wigan still in the bottom three

Having spent the big part of the season in the relegation zone, Wigan players should have learned by now how to cope with the pressure, but they still face a very tough task in the remaining three games. The Latics will host fellow strugglers West Ham next weekend but it is the away games against Aston Villa and Stoke that are likely to determine the outcome of their season. This is hardly the best case scenario for Roberto Martinez’s side since Wigan largely struggle on the travels, having lost three of their last four away games. The 1:1 draw against Everton was second successive game in which Wigan had taken the lead but failed to win, meaning that the Latics shouldn’t get their hopes high even if they manage to score at Villa Park. The visitors could also be without two very important players, which only adds to the worries.

Charles N’Zogbia and Momo Diame haven’t trained this week after picking up injuries against Everton, meaning that they are now major doubts for the Villa clash.

Verdict

There is no doubt Aston Villa are the better team here and even though Wigan will have the bigger motivation at Villa Park, I really doubt the Latics will manage to get something from this game. The hosts simply have too much quality not to win this match.

Our prediction: Home win

Odds: 1.85 (17/20)

Bookmaker: Paddy Power