Boss Roberto Martinez will consider giving first starts to new signings Victor Moses and Marcelo Moreno as Wigan bid to boost their hopes of avoiding being sucked into a relegation struggle with victory over Stoke. The Latics have been worryingly inconsistent all season and face Tony Pulis’s Potters who have struggled away from home this season but have been rejuvenated by a five-match unbeaten run.
Quick Check
Wigan Athletic
- Victor Moses and Marcelo Moreno could make their full debuts in attack.
- Captain Mario Melchiot is hoping to return from a neck problem.
- Roberto Martinez’s team remain unbeaten in all six matches when Hugo Rodallega has scored.
- Maynor Figueroa scored a candidate for goal of the season when the teams met in December.
- Wigan have won only one of their last nine matches in the Premier League.
- Roberto Martinez’s side has thrown away 14 points when leading this season.
- The Latics have kept just one clean sheet in their last 12 league games.
- Wigan have taken only two points off Stoke in their last four meetings.
Stoke City
- Stoke are bidding for a third successive clean sheet.
- Tony Pulis’s side is unbeaten in their last five games.
- The Potters have not lost to Wigan in their last four matches.
- Danny Higginbotham’s goal against Blackburn at the weekend was his first league goal since Oct 2008.
- Defender Abdoulaye Faye faces a fitness test on a back injury.
- Stoke have won only three of their last 30 away games.
- The Potters have scored only four goals on the road this season – the worst in the Premier League.
- Pulis’s team has taken only eight points from 11 away fixtures this campaign, winning just once.
Expert Advice
One win in their last nine matches is the record of an out-of-form side who could be in trouble and Latics boss Roberto Martinez will be desperate to improve that statistic in the coming weeks – starting with victory over Stoke. Wigan’s problem of late has not been getting into winning positions but more killing teams off when they are there for the taking and Martinez will be hoping the addition of Moses and Moreno will help on that front. It might be easier said than done against a Stoke side who come into the game with confidence boosted by a 3-0 win over Blackburn at the weekend. The Potters still need to address their obvious problems away from home, though, so Betsson’s price of 3.25 for a draw appears a sound bet.
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