Wigan vs. Spurs Preview: EPL Matchweek 35

April 26, 2013

By Daire McAnallen

Two sides battling at opposite ends of the table, but for equally important prizes, meet at the DW Stadium as relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic play host to Champions-League-chasing Tottenham Hotspur. Wigan were dealt a major blow last Saturday with their 2-0 defeat at West Ham, having dominated for most of the match. Their misery was amplified by wins for Stoke and Sunderland, taking the red and white sides six points clear of them. However, The Latics still have a game-in-hand over their closest rivals and Aston Villa are only three points ahead of them and they play Sunderland on Monday night so Wigan can crawl back into contention if they start picking up points again following two consecutive defeats in the league. After a critical 3-1 win against Manchester City on Sunday, Spurs are only one point behind fourth-placed Chelsea and have a game-in-hand over Arsenal, who are currently two points ahead of them in third place. Therefore, its crucial that they better their London rivals’ results from here on in if they’re to avoid another season without Champions League football.

The Latics are set to reshuffle at the back with Jean Beausejour due to return and Maynor Figueroa likely to drop back as Antolin Alcaraz is out for three weeks with a hamstring injury. Spurs have some positive news regarding three key attacking players with Aaron Lennon back from a knee injury and Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe suffering no reaction to their respective ankle and pelvis problems suffered during the City game last Sunday. Wigan have won their last two games at home, against Newcastle and Norwich, but this will be a major test against another club whose season’s top target is hanging in the balance. A win for either side may help them on their way to achieving those goals while dooming the defeated side to failing with theirs so this could be a nervous encounter between different clubs in a similar position but both of these sides only know one way to play so this could be an exciting, attacking spectacle. Wigan are well capable of causing an upset, especially with their backs against the wall, but I don’t think they’ll pull this one out of the bag, despite their best efforts, so I’ll go for a 2-3 win for Spurs with Parker, Dempsey and Defoe getting their goals and Kone and Di Santo getting on the scoresheet for the home side.