Wigan V Arsenal Preview

Wigan v Arsenal

Saturday 11 April 2009,

                                                       JJB Stadium

                                                      Kickoff: 15:00

Wigan

Wigan Athletic lost 4-0 away to Everton in their last league outing, their first loss in three matches after a run that saw the Latics go eight matches without a win.


In their last five, Wigan have won two and lost three, earning six points from the potential fifteen. They currently sit eight in the league, three points behind seventh place West Ham and one point clear of ninth placed Fulham.

Wigan will be without new signing Cho Won-Hee after the South Korean international midfielder injured his calf muscles while on international duty. The Latics will also be without Amr Zaki, after the Egypt international striker is apparently suffering from a hamstring injury and has failed to return to Wigan after the international break.

Lastly, Wigan will also be without Lee Cattermole who is serving the last of his four match suspension for serious foul play.

Arsenal

Arsenal beat Manchester City 2-0 in their last league outing, the Gunners' fourth straight league win and 17th straight league match without a loss.

In their last five, Arsenal have won four and drawn one, earning 13 points from the 15 on offer. They currently sit fourth in the league, six points behind third placed Chelsea and six points clear of fifth placed Aston Villa.

Arsenal will be without goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and defender William Gallas after the pair picked up injuries in Arsenal's Champions League 1-1 away draw against Villarreal on Tuesday night.

The Gunners will also likely be without Eduardo, Abou Diaby and Tomas Rosicky, but Robin Van Persie and Samir Nasri should both be fit for the match.

Prediction

Arsenal beat Wigan 1-0 earlier this season at the Emirates, but the two sides drew 0-0 in last season's Wigan vs Arsenal match.

The Gunners will have suffered a huge blow with the absence of both goalkeeper Alumnia as well as defender Gallas, who will miss the rest of the season due to his injury. However, the likely return of van Persie for this match as well as the trio of Fabregas, Walcott and Adebayor are sure to leave the Gunners with a very impressive attacking arsenal!

Wigan, on the other hand, are suffering from a real lack of goalscorers, with their leading scorer this season—Amr Zaki—failing to return for club duty due to an alleged hamstring injury. This lack of attacking strength is clearly showing in the side, with the Latics having only scored six league goals since the beginning of the year.

With some key defensive absentees for Arsenal, probably Wigan's only hope is to take advantage of the injuries and Arsenal's fatigue from their midweek fixture in order to secure an unlikely draw.

But with Arsenal's midfield and attack more or less intact and in extremely fine form, scoring twelve goals in their last four league matches, the Gunners will go into the match - in spite of more injury woes - as favourites to win in a convincing fashion.

Read the full preview with the best online betting odds at the Wigan vs Arsenal preview page!

Then Read More Weekend Premier League Football Previews:

Chelsea vs Bolton
Liverpool vs Blackburn
Sunderland vs Manchester United
Aston Villa vs Everton