The Soccer Blog: Match Preview - Wigan Athletic vs Stoke City 04/12/10 15:00

Saturday, 4 December 2010

Match Preview - Wigan Athletic vs Stoke City 04/12/10 15:00

Match Preview – Wigan Athletic vs Stoke City 04/12/10 15:00 - - The Offside - Stoke City Premier League football blog

« Match Report: Stoke City 1 – 1 Manchester City | Home | Match Preview – Wigan Athletic vs Stoke City 04/12/10 15:00By: joehigginson | December 4th, 2010

Predictably, the 2018 bid ended in tears as the voting committee turned out to be even more unscrupulous than Panorama and the Sunday Times suggested. A paltry two votes from a potential twenty-two is a disgrace and stinks of something rotten. It was black gold that won the day and the Committee might as well have deluged themselves in the stuff for all the subtlety they displayed. Still it was nice to see Stoke involved in the promotional videos though, reminding us of some cheap goals conceded against Chelsea and Liverpool. Anyway back to the Premier League and a preview of tomorrows night final Match of the Day game, Stoke travelling to Wigan. Negative I know, but let’s face it; barring a rugby scoreline or a full scale riot, it’s unlikely this game will get much press coverage. I’ve left this preview as late as possible so I’m fairly certain the game won’t be postponed now.

Preview

There’s not an awful lot to be cheerful about in Wigan right now with the team stuck in the relegation zone and dumped out of the Carling Cup in midweek. Marred by inconsistency, their results and performances can range from the excellent to the woeful. Perhaps most worrying for Wigan is the amount of pristine seats in the DW that continue to go unused and I think there’s a couple of explanations for that, neither involving cost. The first is that Wigan are in direct competition for fans with a plethora of teams based in the north-west, and they would probably say by their own admission they don’t make the most attractive proposition despite their Premier League status. Secondly, and Stoke fans should listen closely, one must not forget that the DW was a sell out on Wigan’s introduction to the Premiership. Attendance has dwindled ever since at what fans may perceive as a lack of ambition from the club, despite never really being in huge danger of dropping back down to the Championship. It’s sad watching a club like theirs stagnate and it’s difficult to come up with any short-term solution that doesn’t involve trophies. I really hope should Stoke continue to find themselves in the lower annals of the league in four or five seasons they will not suffer the same fate.

Stokes recent results offer a beacon of hope to the Latics of successfully rescuing the season. Ten points from the last four games has seen the Potters rise from the relegation zone to the top half. As I mentioned a couple of weeks back, consistency is arguably more important than results at the moment with the league as tight as it is and both teams need to work on this. Meanwhile Tony Pulis has quite rightly come out and played down our current form and league position, suggesting the aim is still to secure Premier League status for a third successive season rather than look up the table to Europe. Not that this fan was daydreaming about such things… Honest!

The clubs have been well matched in recent head to heads with three out of the last four fixtures ending in draws (Stoke winning the other). Both will treat this as a game they are capable of winning with Wigan hoping to climb out the mire and start looking up and Stoke (somewhat unbelievably) looking to encroach on a European spot. As I said, don’t expect the great and the good of football to turn up for this one but if its anything like last season’s enthralling 2-2 draw at the Brit, we might have another minor classic on our hands.

Teams

Wigan striking options will be limited. First choice striker Hugo Rodallega continues to serve his suspension following his straight red card against Manchester while it was confirmed that Victor Moses, who was stretchered off in midweek, will be out for three months with a dislocated shoulder. Franco Di Santo may well be drafted in for the game but the Italian has struggled to find form this season and he too is only rated 50-50 for the game. Charles N’Zogbia, Tom Cleverley and Jordi Gomez should all return to the side after being rested in midweek against Arsenal while Alvaro Alcarez will retain his place having returned from suspension in the same game.

For Stoke, Marc Wilson is serving a one match ban but it’s unlikely he would have been troubling the starting lineup which I think will once again go mostly unchanged. Jermaine Pennant and Andy Wilkinson are both doubtful despite the former shaking off a hamstring tweak to play last weekend. Will be a very competitive game so I can see Jon Walters benched in favour of Ric Fuller alongside Kenwyne Jones. Big question once again is whether we can make room for Tuncay, who let’s not forget scored in both games against Wigan last season. In my opinion he may well have to be content with another second half appearance but it’s a tricky one to call.

One To Watch

Charles N’Zogbia – I’ve been a big fan of the Frenchman ever since his low key move to from Le Havre to Newcastle six years ago. The guy is always brimming with confidence and capable of creating some excellent openings. Some have accused him of hoarding and too often running into dead ends but I feel the majority of Wigan’s invention will come through him.

Prediction

Without wanting to sound like a stuck record, Wigan are without doubt the most unpredictable team in the league, costing me more than I want to think about at the bookies the last couple of years. Dave Cameron subtly appealed for votes in the North West by predicting a 2-1 win for the Latics. Not a bad shout but personally I think both teams will get a share of the spoils. Another 1-1 draw for me.

Category: Stoke Team News

Tags: Stoke Team News, Wigan Athletic
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