Wigan Athletic vs. QPR: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview

Both Wigan and Queens Park Rangers will be looking to propel themselves toward an immediate return to the Premier League when they face each other in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final at the DW Stadium on Friday.

Harry Redknapp's side were looking good for an automatic promotion spot earlier in the season, but their hopes were dashed as Burnley and Leicester City took the top two places convincingly.

QPR had to settle for fourth and they will take on Uwe Rosler's fifth-placed side as both teams look to return to the top flight after being relegated from the Premier League last season.

Wigan confirmed their play-off place with just one game of the season remaining and will be aiming to complete a mammoth season in glorious fashion.

Read on for a full preview of Friday's game as well as television and live streaming information.

Date: Friday, May 9

Time: 7:45 p.m. BST, 2:45 p.m. ET

TV Info: Sky Sports 1

Live Stream: Sky Go

Taste for the Top Flight

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This is not a battle between two clubs looking for their first taste of the Premier League for some time. They came down together in 2013 and will be desperate for the opportunity to return.

QPR come into this game with better form; they have won three of their last five, including a final-day win over Barnsley, compared to Wigan's three defeats in five, per BBC Sport.

However, arguably Wigan have the better momentum, having surged into the play-off positions in the second half of the season from lower in the table, while QPR have dropped in from the top.

When Rosler took over from Owen Coyle in December, Wigan were 14th in the table and QPR were battling it out for the automatic promotion places, per BBC Sport.

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Equally, Wigan have very recent experience of pressure games such as these.

They won the FA Cup final against Manchester City in 2013 and beat the Sky Blues again in this year's competition, before being knocked out on penalties in the semi-final to Arsenal at Wembley.

Indeed, Rosler believes this will give them the edge ahead of Friday's game, per BBC Sport:

"

This squad know all about big games at Wembley and that can only be a positive for us. [...]

We are playing against a squad with a lot of quality that can raise their level in a big game.

But we have players who know all about last-day survival and we have some decent momentum and a positive frame of mind after finishing strongly against Blackburn. 

"

Wigan will look to take this experience into the game and hope that home advantage will show as they aim to get a decent hold in the first 90 minutes of the tie.

Fatigue May Help QPR

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Thanks to another glorious cup run and several Europa League appearances thanks to their Wembley triumph last term, as well as a Community Shield appearance, Wigan have played a lot of games this season.

The Press Association's Liam Blackburn provides exact details as to how many games the Latics have played:

This could be a bonus for QPR as the Wigan players must be fading, and under the immense pressure of Friday's first leg, this fatigue may just show.

Redknapp's side can be buoyed by the fact that they have the edge over their opposition in terms of the results between the two sides this season.

They played out a goalless draw at the DW back in October, while QPR won 1-0 as recently as March when they hosted Rosler's side in west London.

Many look at QPR as a side that should be in the Premier League, especially considering the amount of money at the club and what they pay their players.

Certainly there will be a huge amount of pressure on Redknapp to get a good performance from his players on Friday and set his side up for a Wembley date for the play-off final.