Wigan vs Fulham

September 21, 2012
By: John Hansen

Roberto Martinez needs to rally the troops after the 4-0 defeat at Old Trafford as the Latics are in desperate need of a victory in order to escape the danger zone. Fulham, on the other hand, won their second home game this term, but two defeats in as many away fixtures cannot give the Cottagers a lot of reason for optimism before the clash at DW Stadium.

Wigan still searching for form

Last season was pretty difficult for Wigan given the team spent much of the league campaign in the danger zone, but the impressive season finale and 7 wins in last 9 Premier League fixtures proved the Latics have what it takes to become genuine top half contenders. While the club chiefs managed to keep hold of manager Roberto Martinez, they could do nothing to prevent Diame, Rodallega, Moses and Thomas leave, but they did sign some very good replacements in Ivan Ramis, Ryo Miyaichi and Arouna Kone. The Latics may have been beaten by title contenders Chelsea and Manchester United, but they took four points from clashes with Southampton and Stoke, which can give them some confidence before the match against Fulham. Considering that Roberto Martinez will now have almost fully fit squad to choose from, Wigan can be trusted to beat one of the worst travelers in the elite division.

Antolin Alcaraz remains the only injury doubt, after Jean Beausejour returned into action following a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

No cure for travel sickness

Fulham have long ago made the journey from relegation struggled to mid table side, and they have mostly their home form to thank for it. Ever since they gained promotion to the English Premier League some ten years ago the Cottagers have been a real force to be reckoned with at their Craven Cottage, but, at the same time, they have been largely struggling on the travels. Nothing has changed this season, with Martin Jol’s side winning two home games and scoring 8 goals in the process, but losing both away fixtures, while conceding 6 goals. It is for that reason that Fulham cannot be trusted to avoid defeat at DW Stadium, especially as they have a number of important missings as well. Having lost 8 of last 11 EPL games on the travels, the Cottagers look destined for yet another away defeat.

Kerim Frei, Kieran Richardson, Simon Davies, Ashkan Dejagah and Mahamadou Diarra are all out injured, whereas Philippe Senderos is still two weeks away from returning into action.

Verdict

Wigan have enjoyed a bright start to the season and I’m confident they won’t be too downhearted by the heavy defeat at Old Trafford, especially having matched their more illustrious opponents for 50 minutes. Fulham remain awful on the travels and it is highly unlikely they will get something from the DW Stadium.

Our prediction: Wigan Draw no bet

Odds: 1.80 (4/5)

Bookmaker: Stan James

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