Wigan vs Wolves

May 12, 2012
By: John Hansen

The game against already relegated Wolverhampton is a perfect opportunity for Wigan to celebrate Premiership survival and end the season on a high following a remarkable run of results. Wolves did well to take two points from last two games after it had become clear they would get relegated, but bringing something from DW Stadium could prove to be mission impossible.

This is real Wigan

Wigan may have spent much of the league campaign in and around the bottom three, but the reality is the Latics never looked like a team that don’t deserve to play at this level. Even when Roberto Martinez’s side were going through a rough patch, it was evident their showings are more than good enough to stay above the relegation zone and I believe all neutral fans were happy to see the Latics turn it around. And what a turnaround that has been! Wigan managed to win 6 of last 8 Premier League games to record their best ever finish to the league campaign, but the feat becomes even greater when we know they beat the likes of Liverpool, United, Arsenal and Newcastle, among other sides. After the 1-0 win at Ewood Park sent Blackburn to the Championship and helped the Latics move five points clear of the relegation zone, they can go into this game deprived of any pressure, which should result in another convincing home showing.

Apart from former Wolves midfielder David Jones, Roberto Martinez has fully fit squad to choose from.

Wolves going down

Apart from the first few rounds of the season, when Wolverhampton recorded some very good results, this team never really looked like they can survive this Premiership season. Wolves were at least fighting to escape the bottom three while Mick McCarthy was in charge but the decision to replace the Irishman with Terry Connor proved to be the biggest mistake of the season. With absolutely no experience of coaching at the highest level, Connor was unable to arrest the poor run of results and Wolves slipped to the point of no return soon after his appointment. The team were officially relegated few weeks ago and are now on a 14-match winless run, so it is hard to expect they can match high-flying Wigan at their DW Stadium. Numerous injuries are also making life difficult for the boss, meaning the visitors don’t have much to hope for before the trip up North.

Christophe Berra and Michael Kightly are doubtful after picking up injuries against Everton, whereas Seba Bassong, Kevin Foley, Matt Jarvis and David Davis all missed the Everton game and could again miss out.

Verdict

Wigan have been absolutely brilliant over the last couple of weeks and they now aim to celebrate Premiership survival with a comfortable home win. After Stoke, United and Newcastle were all beaten at DW Stadium, already relegated Wolves cannot be expected to fare any better.

Our prediction: Wigan with -1 Asian handicap

Odds: 1.99 (99/100)

Bookmaker: 188BET

We Highly Recommend These Places
Share your Opinion!