Wigan Athletic vs. Newcastle United Preview

Relegation battlers Wigan Athletic host Champions League chasing Newcastle United in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday April 28 and both sides will feel a win is absolutely necessary in order to boost their relative causes.

The Latics have their heads above water by three points courtesy of fine recent successes against Arsenal and Manchester United however they were brought back down to earth last time out by Fulham at Craven Cottage via a last gasp strike from Pavel Pogrebnyiak.

Confidence should still be high nevertheless within Roberto Martinez’ squad and the Spaniard will be keen to press on from the first whistle and pressurise a Newcastle outfit that are some way clear at the top of the league’s form table.

The Magpies have been imperious throughout the last few weeks, racking up six wins on the spin against Norwich, West Brom, Liverpool, Swansea, Bolton and Stoke.

And on paper, Wigan should represent an even softer task for Newcastle then a number of the teams which they have put to the sword en route to moving fourth and in contention for a Champions League place.

The hosts have often put up some spirited displays at the DW Stadium, as typified by their win over champions elect Manchester United, nonetheless they have to be regarded as underdogs in this fixture based on their overall record this season and Newcastle are sure to give them a rough ride if in the same touch as the last few matches.

January recruit Papiss Cisse has been a constant revelation to the Toon Army whose loyal supporters will feel that they certainly got the right end of the deal over the Senegalese’s former club Hoffenheim.

Already a dozen goals to the good thanks to his services, Newcastle should have enough quality and pace up front to expose Wigan’s frail back line.

Furthermore, United’s midfield has improved leaps and bounds over the course of the campaign and the likes of Yohan Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa are now beginning to stand out as genuine top drawer players.

Wigan will undoubtedly throw everything into the fight but it is the visitors who should be able to control the ball and dominate play.

Having such a lethal marksman in the shape of Cisse inevitably means that Newcastle should take at least one of the opportunities which they carve and a solitary goal may be enough as the Toon defence looks solid as a rock and extremely cohesive.

Only one goal has been conceded throughout Newcastle’s six match winning streak and another clean sheet can be added on the way to another triumph in Lancashire.

Newcastle are unsurprising favourites however the market is markedly closer than it should be.

It’s 6/4 for an away victory which is unbelievable value about a team searching for a seventh successive win, especially against a side fighting the drop.

Punters may also be encouraged to back Alan Pardew’s men to beat Wigan to nil and that could well be the outcome unless the hosts can find a way to breach Toon’s water-tight back four.

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23/04/2012     © Frixo 2024