Football – England – Championship
Saturday 5th April 2014 – Kickoff: 1215hrs
Fifth placed Wigan Athletic will be looking to cement their play-off position when they host crisis club Leeds United at the DW Stadium in Saturday’s Championship lunchtime kickoff.
Wigan held Championship league leaders Leicester City to a 2-2 draw at home on Tuesday night but they were very close to securing all three points with Hammond only equalising for The Foxes with just three minutes left. Nevertheless, it was a good result for Uwe Rosler’s side who have lost just once in their last eleven matches which has lifted them up into their current play-off position.
Wigan’s only defeat during their last eleven match period was a 0-1 away loss at QPR but The Latics return to their home ground for today’s clash with an overall solid record of 10-7-2 31/20 behind them and unbeaten in their last ten.
Manager Rosler has moulded his Wigan outfit into a side that are now very hard to break down, and they also possess some useful attacking and creative players such as Jordi Gomez (6 goals, 4 assists), Marc-Antoine Fortune (4 goals, 6 assists), Nick Powell (7 goals) and journeyman striker Nicky Maynard who is a consistent goalscorer at this level.
The end to this season can’t come quick enough for poor old Leeds United who continue to lurch from one internal club disaster to the next; amidst financial struggles where the owners owe payments to their players, manager Brian McDermott’s position under constant threat and on the field they are sinking down the table as each match passes, they make a tough trip to Wigan on the back of three straight defeats.
Defeats against Bournemouth 1-4 away, 1-2 at home to Doncaster Rovers and Tuesday night’s 0-1 loss to relegation threatened Charlton Athletic at Elland Road seem to be a direct consequence of the off-field saga, and you have to question the motivation around the dressing room as players and staff are left wondering about the immediate future of the club.
On the road, Leeds are without a win from their last five with additional defeats at Brighton and Burnley, and they’ve taken just two points from the last possible 15 with draws at Middlesbrough and QPR, and possess an overall away record of a disappointing 5-4-10 20/31.
Leeds are basically here for the taking, but it just depends on how hungry Wigan are for the points today. If they can keep McCormack quiet then they’ll win this comfortably, but I’ll just go for the straight win here, perhaps 1-0.
Pick: Wigan Athletic straight win @ 1.57 Coral
