Two teams that are used to face each other in the Premier League will have to face each other yet another time during the 21st gameday of this season, as Wigan Athletic is set to host the leading team, Newcastle United.
The local team is desperate for a win as they’re in a serious relegation danger, currently sitting at the 23rd position of the table right now, while Rafa Benitez’ side seems like a lock to get the promotion to the Premier League once again, leading the table after 20 weeks of the season.
So, in a must-win scenario for both teams, we’re going to find one of the most exciting matchups of this week, as the result of this game will definitely have some big implications for both sides regarding their current expectations for the upcoming season.
Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United Team News
Newcastle are on a roll even in the reserves, as the youngsters defeated Aston Villa’s u23 team with a scoreline of 4-2 thanks to Rob Elliott’s return.
Alan Pardew is reportedly keen to take Paul Dummett away from Newcastle United during this upcoming transfer window, as the left back has been very impressive through most of the year.
Wigan Athletic has failed to score a goal in their last 2 games, losing both by 1 to 0 to Aston Villa or Derby.
Predicted Lineup
Wigan Athletic
Jääskeläinen
Hutton, Elphick, Chester, Amavi
Gardner, Jedinak
Adomah, Ayew, Grealish
Kodja
Newcastle United
Darlow
Anita, Lascelles, Clark, Dummett
Gouffran, Hayden, Shelvey, Ritchie
Diame, Gayle
Stats
- Rafa Benitez’ team has won 9 of their last 11 Sky Bet League games.
- Wigan Athletic has won 6 of their last 7 home matchups against Newcastle United.
- Newcastle United has struggled mightily to score on the road against Wigan Athletic, netting just 3 scores in their last 7 trips.
Prediction
This is a very interesting matchup given the fact that both teams are in a desperate need for the three points, although the reasons why they do so are far from similar, since one’s fighting for the promotion and the title, while the other is mightily struggling to barely avoid relegation to the third division of English soccer.
The local team has had a very difficult season and needs to get things going at home as soon as possible, and they could definitely use that home court advantage they’ve had over the past few years against Newcastle United, and considering that they’ve been pretty decent on defence in their past two games, they could try to build up on that defensive efforts and try to get the win.
Considering how poorly Newcastle has performed over their last two away outings (losing both) and how difficult they’ve found it to score goals at the DW Stadium, we know we’re in front of a very difficult match for Benitez’ side, but we think Benitez’s men will be able to impose their conditions.
Wigan Athletic 1 – Newcastle United 2