Wigan - Walsall, English Division 1
2004-02-28 16.00 CET
Pick: Wigan
Stake: 3%
Odds: 1,57
Final reason for bet
· Wigan is in good form which has strengthened their promotion bid.
· Wigan is able to continue with almost the same starting eleven as lately.
· Wigan has no crucial players missing.
· Walsall is in bad form.
· Walsall has selection problems in midfield because of injuries.
General comment about the game
Promotion chasers Wigan will be visited by struggling Walsall on Saturday. Wigan is in a good period having not lost since Boxing Day. Furthermore, they have only one loss from their latest ten games in the league. This good run has come in the right moment. Newcomer Wigan has been in the promotion race all season but a slight dip in form in November saw them drop places and a playoff spot looked more and more unlikely. However, the team has shown great character and has since then strengthened their promotion bid and is now back in third place. Last weekend Wigan played a tough away game against in form Stoke. Wigan dominated the game all over and a win had been well deserved. However, the match ended in a draw 1-1. Stoke took the lead just before halftime with a clinical finish by Akinbiyi. This was actually the only real chance Stoke had throughout the game. In second half Wigan continued to play some good football and had for instance a disallowed goal and a fine performance by substitute Andy Lidell that hit the crossbar before top scorer Nathan Ellington fired home the equaliser. The Wigan team will get a boost by the news that both central midfielder Jimmy Bullard (32 apps, 2 goals) and striker Nathan Ellington (30 apps, 14 goals) are fit to face Walsall. Both have suffered with slight injuries lately but they have returned to full training again. Striker Gary Teale (22 apps, 2 goals) got injured in last week’s game against Stoke and is expected to be sidelined for weeks. However, we do not believe that the team will suffer from this since all time top goal scorer Andy Lidell (27 apps, 8 goals) will get a chance to regain his place. He has struggled to score lately which has seen him loose his starting place to Teale but now he has the chance of proving the manager wrong by starting to score goals regularly again. Also defender Leighton Baynes (12 apps, 0 goals) is available once again after serving a one-match ban and he will be a contender for the left side. No other important team news from the Wigan side.
Walsall is struggling at the moment. They have had the reverse form compared to Wigan and have not won since Boxing Day. This has put them in the relegation battle, currently on 18th place just five points above the drop zone. Last game saw another defeat for the team when same bad defending earned Watford the win by a single goal. Walsall had via striker Jorge Leitao some very good chances to equalise but fine saves from the Watford keeper saw the efforts spoiled. The team is missing their veteran playmaker Paul Merson (24 apps, 4 goals). Merson has been out since late January because he is receiving counselling for addictive problems. Furthermore, manager Colin Lee has more problems in midfield since Vinny Samways (27 apps, 2 goals) is ruled out with injury and both Darren Wrack (23 apps, 6 goals) and Jamie Lawrence (17 apps, 1 goal) are doubtful. Fortunately Simon Osborn (29 apps, 2 goals) is expected to strengthen the midfield since his expected foot fracture only was a severe bruising. However, there is a question mark of his fitness. Also the manager himself will not be coaching on Saturday since he will undergo a surgery. Instead the team will be coached by the first team coach and the youth coach.
Wigan is a good team with a strong form as they have shown lately. Last game against Walsall was a disappointment for Wigan. They lost away with 2-0 and the manager was really upset with their performance. Wigan will now try to make up for that and anything other than a win will be another disappointment. We believe that Wigan will face off an out of shape Walsall at home on Saturday. Medium stake, 3% is suggested.
Recent games for home team
|
2004-02-21 |
Stoke-Wigan |
1-1 |
|
2004-02-14 |
Wigan-Derby |
2-0 |
|
2004-02-07 |
Ipswich-Wigan |
1-3 |
|
2004-01-31 |
Millwall-Burnley |
0-0 |
|
2004-01-17 |
Preston-Wigan |
2-4 |
Recent games for away team
|
2004-02-21 |
Walsall-Watford |
0-1 |
|
2004-02-14 |
Nottingham-Walsall |
3-3 |
|
2004-02-07 |
Walsall-Crewe |
1-1 |
|
2004-01-31 |
Stoke-Walsall |
3-2 |
|
2004-01-17 |
Walsall-Coventry |
1-6 |
Home table
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Wigan |
16 |
8 |
6 |
2 |
20-10 |
30 |
Away table
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Walsall |
16 |
3 |
4 |
9 |
13-23 |
13 |
Links for this game
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// SportsObserver 040227
