Blackburn Rovers return to the JJB a year on from giving Latics a drubbing in the league, and that is one thing that Steve Bruce cant afford to let Mark Hughes men do this time round
Blackburn have won just one of their last six league outings, and lost the most recent home to West Ham.
But they have not lost back-to-back in 22 Premier League games.
Latics have not kept a clean sheet since August 18th a run of 13 games
Vital Quotes:
Steve Bruce
‘We have got four out of the next six at home and we have got to come out of the game at Derby on 15 January with 10 or 11 more points.
‘If we do that we will have 20 points and then we’ll give ourselves a chance of getting out of this situation.
‘It is a difficult challenge ahead, we have got to arrest it quickly and get back into that pack’
Mark Hughes
‘It’s up to us to work extremely hard at the weekend to overcome a Wigan side who are obviously having a poor season.
‘We’ve got to go there and perform as we have done in most of the games we’ve been involved in.
‘We’ve discussed what targets we’re after in terms of points over the Christmas and new year period and the players know exactly what I expect.’
Wigan Athletic Team News:
Mario Melchiot is still suspended from this game and Sibierski is injured
Latics (from): Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Taylor, Kilbane, Valencia, Scharner, Landzaat, Koumas, Bent, Heskey, Brown, Granqvist, Skoko, Cotterill, Aghahowa, Pollitt.
Player to watch: Paul Scharner
What will the Austrian do this week?
Blackburn Rovers Team News:
Bentley and Nelson return to the squad following suspension
Rovers(from): Friedel, Emerton, Nelsen, Samba, Warnock, Tugay, Mokoena, Reid, Bentley, Dunn, Pedersen, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Roberts, Brown, Savage, Berner, Derbyshire, Khizanishvili, Treacy.
Player to watch: Jason Roberts
Former Latics favourite now established in the Blackburn squad
Match Facts & Stats
Last season
Wigan Athletic 0-3 Blackburn Rovers
scorers: Heskey 37 og, Derbyshire 58, McCarthy 76 pen
1/1/2007
Ref: Mark Clattenburg
Ref Watch:
Referee – Mark Clattenburg
Match Prediction:
Heart says 1-1
Head says 1-2
