Wigan Athletic v Manchester United
Venue: DW Stadium, Wigan
KO: 19:45 (GMT), Wednesday 11th April 2012
Referee: Phil Dowd
By Paul Bienkowski
After an eventful weekend of action, Manchester United found themselves 8 points ahead of Manchester City, before City kicked the ball. Their 1-0 loss to Arsenal finalised the fact that United were now in a position to stop City from winning the title they so desperately thought they had won back in October when they beat United 1-6.
A city fan will always throw that result back at a United fan, but really where did it get them? They had a 5 point lead on United some months ago and effectively, United have got themselves 13 points to top City. City fans will say that injuries took their toll on the squad but with the size of squad they have it’s really just another excuse we have all heard before!!
United now go in search of that promised land of 20 league titles, after they knocked Liverpool off their perch with the 19 title last season, United seem to be making their own perch comfortable.
Now Wigan stands in their way! A team who have been in a relegation position, or nearby for most of this year, who have also had a spot of recent form with them most recently giving Chelsea a run for their money, their defeat over Stoke City and also the famous victory over Liverpool!
The side Roberto Martinez manages have never beaten Manchester United in the Premier League and have scored few goals against. Could this be the match that sees City get back into the title race? Or the match that will galvanise United’s domination at the top of the Premier League?
Should City falter against West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday, by either a loss or a draw, it could see United to a 10 or 11 point lead at the top, making way for a possible crowning ceremony before the Manchester derby at the Etihad. If this happens will the City squad give the champions a Guard of Honour?
Wigan are certainly capable of causing a shock against United, but I am sure the United side will try and stop their counter attacking and ensure they stay in a position to wrap the league title up sooner rather than later.
Match Facts – Manchester United
- Last 10 league game form – WWWWWWWWDW
- Last 5 league away game form – WWWWD
- In Manchester United’s last 5 away games they have taken 13 points out of 15
- Manchester United have scored 24 goals in their last 10 league games, conceding 6
- Manchester United’s top scorer in the league is Wayne Rooney on 22 goals
- Manchester United have great form in the Premier League against Wigan, beaten them on each of the 13 time (7 at Old Trafford, 6 at DW/JJB Stadium)
- Manchester United has had 6 clean sheets in their last 10 league games, 4 at Old Trafford
- Manchester United score an average of 2.44 goals per game and concede 0.84 goals per game
- Manchester United have achieved a clean sheet in 53% of their games
Match Facts – Wigan Athletic
- Last 10 league game form – LWWDDLDWDL
- Last 5 league home game form – WDLDD
- In Wigan’s last 5 home games they have taken 6 points out of 15
- Wigan have scored 11 goals in their last 10 league games & conceded 12
- Wigan’s top scorers in the league are Victor Moses, Jordi Gomez & Franco Di Santo each on 4 goals
- Wigan have never beaten Manchester United in the Premier League
- Wigan have had 2 clean sheets in their last 10 league games
- Wigan score an average of 0.94 goals per game and concede 1.78 goals per game
- Wigan have achieved a clean sheet in 16% of their games
Team News – Wigan Athletic
Al Habsi, Kirkland, Caldwell, Boyce, Figueroa, Alcaraz, Gohouri, Stam, Lopez, Beausejour, Watson, Moses, Crusat, McArthur, McCarthy, Jones, Gomez, Thomas, Diame, Maloney, Sammon, Di Santo
Injuries/Doubts: Rodallega (knee)
Star Man: Ali Al Habsi
Team News – Manchester United
De Gea, Amos, Rafael, Fabio, Evra, Smalling, Jones, Ferdinand, Evans, Carrick, Cleverley, Scholes, Nani, Giggs, Park, Pogba, Young, Valencia, Rooney, Welbeck, Hernandez, Berbatov
Injuries/Doubts: Vidic (knee), Anderson (hamstring), Fletcher (bowel condition), Lindegaard (ankle), Owen (thigh)
Star Man: Wayne Rooney
Match Prediction: Wigan Athletic 0 – 2 Manchester United
By Paul Bienkowski