Preview: Manchester United v Wigan

Posted Friday, November 19, 2010 by thesportscampus.com

After the distractions of the midweek Internationals, the players return to the bread and butter of the Barclays Premier League this weekend. The lead up to the game has been dominated by the events off the field at United, with the risky PIK loans, that amount upto £220 million being cleared by the Glazer family. On the field, United's habit of drawing games away from home continued last week, as they had to come from two goals down to salvage a point at Aston Villa. Wigan on the other hand earned a valuable three points against West Brom last time around thanks to a well taken goal by Victor Moses. Wigan have never taken a point off United in the Premier League and it seems unlikely that Roberto Martinez' side will change the situation come Saturday.

Manchester United

The Red Devils have endured a patchy start to the season, drawing almost half of their games so far. But they have been imperious at Old Trafford, winning five out of the six games. In spite of their obvious deficiencies this season, United are just three points off leaders Chelsea, who are mired in their own problems at the moment. The uncertain nature of the League this season has made for exciting football, but must be a nightmare for the coaching staff.

Defending has been the biggest area of concern for Man Utd, the midfield and defence combined have contributed to their downfall. The return of Rio Ferdinand has definitely strengthened the side but collectively the players have failed to maintain a tight ship. The full backs and central midfielders have been caught out of position and have been guilty of giving far too much space to opposing attackers. Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes have been overworked in the centre of the park and with Michael Carrick still trying to recapture his glory days, Man Utd look a bit a light weight in central midfield.

They have had problems in attack too, where the loss of Wayne Rooney and Antonio Valencia has deeply affected Sir Alex Ferguson's side. Dimitar Berbatov has gone off the boil in recent weeks after a bright start to the campaign and had a poor outing against Villa. Nani didn't play much better, and was required to put in an 88 minute shift against Spain in midweek which would have certainly taken its toll. Wayne Rooney has returned to the club after spending a week in the US working on his fitness and could be in line for a substitute appearance against Wigan.

Wigan Athletic

Wigan produced a strong performance to beat West Brom 1-0 at the DW Stadium. Victor Moses and Charles N'Zogbia together produced a moment of magic to break the deadlock. With games against United, Arsenal, Villa and Everton coming up, any points picked up over the next few weeks could prove priceless at the end of the season.

The Latics have been their usual inconsistent selves this season, languishing at 17th in the table with 14 points. But due to the close nature of the League this season, they are just six points behind Bolton in 5th place. Roberto Martinez' men have won only one out of the last six games, with the 1-1 draw against Liverpool the stand out result. They have struggled to break down teams and more importantly, have been very poor defensively, as indicated by their negative eleven goal difference.

Like most teams in the bottom half of the table, their problems have been away from home, where they have picked up a mere five points from five games. Goals have also been at a premium for the Lancashire side, having scored just 10 from 13 games so far this season. Hugo Rodallega has the quality to survive at the top level but without support from the midfielders he casts a lonely figure in most games. Charles N'Zogbia is the only other attacking player with real quality and Martinez will have to fight hard to prevent his two star players from moving to greener pastures.

Head-to-Head:

22nd Aug, 2009: Wigan 0-5 Manchester United
30th Dec, 2009: Manchester United 5-0 Wigan

Form Guide:

Manchester United: DDWWW
13th Nov, 2010: Aston Villa 2-2 Manchester United
10h Nov, 2010: Manchester City 0-0 Manchester United
6th Nov, 2010: Manchester United 2-1 Wolves
2nd Nov, 2010: Bursaspor 0-3 Manchester United (Champions League)
30th Oct, 2010: Manchester United 2-0 Spurs

Wigan Athletic: WDLLW
13th Nov, 2010: Wigan 1-0 West Brom
10th Nov, 2010: Wigan 1-1 Liverpool
6th Nov, 2010: Blackburn 2-1 Wigan
30th Oct, 2010: Fulham 2-0 Wigan
26th Oct, 2010: Wigan 2-0 Swansea (Carling Cup)

Probable Line-Ups:

Manchester United (4-4-2): Van Der Sar (Gk), O'Shea, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Park, Fletcher, Scholes, Obertan, Hernandez, Berbatov

Sir Alex Ferguson has a few injury worries ahead of the clash against their Lancashire rivals, as Rafael Da Silva and Anderson have joined long term absentees, Valencia and Owen Hargreaves, on the treatment table. John O'Shea might get the nod at right back after Wes Brown's horror show at Villa last week. The imposing pair of Vidic and Ferdinand should start in central defence while Patrice Evra will start at left back. Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Darren Fletcher are the only options in central midfield and in all likelihood Scholes should start alongside Fletcher. Gabriel Obertan and Federico Macheda made impressive contributions after coming on late at Villa Park and might be rewarded with a place in the starting line up, though chances are that Javier Hernandez may continue to partner Berbatov up front. Nani could get a break after his midweek exertions with Park Ji Sung coming in on the left side of midfield.

Wigan Athletic (4-5-1): Al Habsi (Gk), Stam, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Gohouri, N'Zogbia, Gomez, Diame, Watson, Moses, Rodallega

Wigan were dealt a huge blow last week when Gary Caldwell limped off against West Brom with an injury. Steven Caldwell came on for the captain last week and is expected to start alongside Antolin Alcaraz in central defence. Ali Al-Habsi, who's on loan from Bolton, should start in goal while Ronnie Stam and Steve Gohouri are expected to start as full-backs. Tom Cleverly, who is on loan from United, is ineligible to play, hence, Mohamed Diame, Ben Watson and Jordi Gomez are expected to form the midfield three. The width provided by N'Zogbia and Victor Moses provide a vital avenue down the wings and should start on either side of Rodallega, who will start down the centre as the lone striker.

Prediction: United have an impeccable record against Wigan and should get all three points without too much fuss.

Predicted Scoreline: Manchester United 3-0 Wigan