Bottom of the table Wigan will be looking for crucial Premier League points this weekend when they host an Aston Villa side that could easily be dragged into relegation trouble this season, and there will be plenty of punters snapping up the 9/5 with Ladbrokes for the home win.
Although Wigan are propping up the Premier League table at the moment, they are only two points adrift of safety, so they are still fighting for their top-flight lives.
They have been written off a number of times this season of course, although they continuously pick up enough wins to stay in touch with the teams above them, with the victory at relegation rivals Bolton the most recent example.
It has been their form at the DW Stadium that has been most concerning though. They haven’t won on home soil since August last year, a run stretching 10 Premier League games. If they are to stay up this year, this has to improve in the final third of the campaign.
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Aston Villa have their own struggles at the moment though and are under huge pressure going into this weekend. At the moment they are seven points clear of the bottom three, but a couple of poor results could see them dragged into a battle for survival.
This is especially the case if they lose to teams below them, making this weekend’s trip to Wigan – as well as next week’s away game at Blackburn Rovers – extremely important for Villa’s season.
Alex McLeish’s men haven’t been in the best of form either. They have lost three of their last four games in all competitions and their confidence has been rather fragile all season.
Having said that, Villa’s away form has been relatively decent. They may have lost to Newcastle in their last game on the road, but before this they achieved victories at Chelsea and Wolves.
There is a case for suggesting that Villa are more comfortable away from home this season and they will perhaps be happy to prove this as the case on Saturday afternoon.
Looking at the team news for this crucial clash towards the bottom of the table, Wigan have no fresh injury worries, while Villa will have to cope without influential defender Richard Dunne. Midfielder Barry Bannan will then have a late fitness test.