Premier League preview: Wigan vs Wolves

koclokindoblog, 11 Mei 2012, Wigan Athletic can win their seventh game in nine starts while Wolverhampton Wanderers will bid farewell to the Premier League on Sunday.

Wolves, rooted to the bottom of the table with just five wins and 25 points, have already been consigned to Championship after two seasons in the top flight.

Wigan, in 15th on 40 points, on the other hand, secured their Premier League status for another term with a late winner against Blackburn Rovers in their last outing.

In fact Roberto Martinez's side are one of the Premier League's form teams with 18 points from their last eight games - a feat only matched by Newcastle United.

Wigan skipper Gary Caldwell has urged his side to 'become a real force' in the Premier League next season as they prepare to farewell the DW Stadium faithful for another season.

"Finishing a point higher than last season and in 15th position in the league would be fantastic," Caldwell told the official Wigan website.

"Now as a football club we have to progress and we don't want to be in this position again next year.

"From day one in pre-season we have to come back and show that hunger and that commitment to be a better football team and if we do that we will finish much further up this league."

Wolves have taken just three from their last possible 24 points and are winless in their last 13 matches.

Following recent draws against Swansea and Everton, Wolves midfielder Dave Edwards declared his side are determined to clinch a maiden victory for manager Terry Connor, took over from the sacked Mick McCarthy in February.

"We keep saying it's for TC, and we haven't given him three points yet so it would be good to finish with two draws and a win to put a better mark on it for him," Edwards told the official Wolves website.

Wolves ran out 3-1 winners last time the sides met in November at Molineux with Jamie O'Hara, David Edwards and Stephen Ward striking for the home side.

 

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Premier League preview: Blackburn vs Wigan

koclokindoblog, 4 Mei 2012, Blackburn's bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League could be decided on Monday when they host Wigan Athletic.

The Ewood Park clash pits the 19th-placed Rovers, who sit three points from safety, against a resurgent Wigan side.

Roberto Martinez's men defeated Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle United, who are second, third and fifth on the table respectively, last month and have moved to 16th on the table as a result, three points above the relegation zone.

But despite relegation looming around the corner, Blackburn manager Steve Kean said no one at the club is thinking about what failure will mean over the next two weeks.

"We don't want to think about (relegation), we want to be positive and make sure we are focused – and that means beating Wigan and then beating Chelsea," Kean said.

"We're not thinking about going down. It's not even crossing our minds."

Blackburn failed to register a shot in Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham and Kean has not shied away from his side's lacklustre performance.

"We were poor against Spurs, especially with the ball," Kean said.

"Normally our passing is good and we get good service to the front but it wasn't up to standard."

Based on each EPL club's record in the last six matches, Wigan are the fourth-best performed side in the league with 12 points only behind Newcastle, Manchester City and Fulham.

Wigan's return to form has coincided with an improved defensive effort.

Martinez's side have conceded just five goals in their past six games.

In more bad news for Blackburn, Wigan go into the game fresh, as one of the few EPL teams not to have played mid-week.

Their last match was a 4-0 home win over Newcastle on Saturday thanks to two strikes to Victor Moses, plus goals to Shaun Maloney and Franco Di Santo.

 

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Premier League preview: Wigan vs Newcastle

koclokindoblog, 27 April 2012, Two sides with plenty to play for do battle when Wigan host high-flying Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday.

While Wigan's goal is to steer further clear of the relegation zone with another big scalp, Newcastle will be eyeing the final Champions League spot, now a distinct reality given slip-ups from chasing Tottenham and Chelsea.

Chelsea's preoccupation with the Champions League saw them peter out a goalless draw at Arsenal while Tottenham continued their downturn in form with a loss at QPR, meaning Newcastle is now in the box seat with a three point gap over Tottenham in fourth, and four over Chelsea back in fifth.

Wigan are in the thick of it too, though at the other end of the table.

Roberto Martinez's men have hauled themselves off the canvas with four huge wins in six league games over the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Stoke and Liverpool.

That leaves them one point clear of the drop after Aston Villa were pulled closer to the mire with a 2-1 loss to relegation-threatened Bolton on Wednesday.

Martinez has been behind much of the revival and will need to draw on all the spirit his side can muster with games against lowly Blackburn and relegated Wolves to come.

"For Wigan to be seven years in the Premier League is an outstanding achievement and if we have to go to the last day of the season, so be it," Martinez said.

"We are prepared mentally as a club, every point is going to count and it could easily go to the last game of the season. We will give our lives for more points."

Alan Pardew's Newcastle have been just as impressive in their unlikely pursuit of European football.

Following Chelsea's Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona on Tuesday, it would be cruel if they manage to win the final, taking the last English spot in next year's competition at Newcastle's expense.

Newcastle clinically dispatched Stoke 3-0 at Sports Direct Arena thanks to a double from Yohan Cabaye and another goal from Papiss Cisse, who has taken his goals tally to 11 from 11 games since joining the club from Bundesliga outfit Freiburg.

With games against Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton to come, points will not be easy to come by for Newcastle, making Saturday a must-win.

Premier League preview: Fulham vs Wigan

koclokindoblog, 19 April 2012, Wigan head to London on Saturday knowing a win over Fulham could see them eight points clear of relegation by the end of the weekend.

Wigan have won four of their last five games and a victory in London would almost ensure safety for Roberto Martinez's side with three matches to go.

Victor Moses and Shaun Maloney have been crucial in Wigan's late move up the table.

Moses scored a 90th-minute goal to seal Wigan's 2-0 victory over Stoke on April 1 and then set up Jordi Gomez's goal in his side's 2-1 triumph against Arsenal on Tuesday.

Maloney has hit the back of the net twice in Wigan's brilliant recent streak including a long-range stunner against Manchester United as his side won 1-0.

Wigan's two most recent wins against United and Arsenal have seen Martinez's men show their ability to attack quickly, particularly along the flanks, and keep a strong defensive formation when they do not have the ball.

Fulham are also in decent form heading into Saturday's game with two wins and a draw in their last three matches, although that comes after three defeats in a row.

Unlike most other Premier League clubs, Fulham have not played since April 9 when Clint Dempsey's late goal clinched a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.

That was Dempsey's 16th league goal of the season and the American forward will be keen to prove on Saturday that he should have been on the PFA's short list for Player of the Season.

Dempsey is easily Fulham's top scorer for the season with 22 in all competitions, with Andrew Johnson the next best with 11 goals.

It is the 29-year-old's sixth season with Fulham and easily his best in terms of goals.

Despite that he was left off the PFA's shortlist that only featured players from the top four clubs in the EPL.

Dempsey has thrived with the likes of Moussa Dembele, Bryan Ruiz and Danny Murphy buzzing around Fulham's midfield.

Martin Jol's side head into Saturday's match in 10th position with 43 points.

Strikers Pavel Pogrebnyak and Johnson could return from injury against Wigan.

Wigan are 16th on the EPL table with 34 points, five points clear of Bolton who occupy 18th spot and the third relegation berth.

Martinez could have Maloney back in the side after the Scottish midfielder missed his team's win over Arsenal due to a knee injury he suffered at training.

 

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Premier League preview: Chelsea vs Wigan

 koclokindoblog, 7 April 2012,

Chelsea's attention returns to the English Premier League when they host resurgent Wigan at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The west London club powered into the last four of the Champions League with a 3-1 aggregate win over Benfica on Wednesday.

They were immediately given a vote of no-confidence by Real Madrid boss and former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who tipped Pep Guardiola's reigning champions Barcelona to emerge victorious from the semi-finals.

That aside, both Chelsea and Wigan have experienced a change in fortunes in recent weeks, with the former avoiding a likely Champions League exit under the guidance of new manager Roberto Di Matteo.

For Wigan, a run of three wins and four draws in eight games has lifted them off the foot of the table and just one point away from safety, their only blip during that time being a 2-0 loss at Swansea.

Troubling though for Wigan will be the knowledge they have failed to take a point off Chelsea since the 2007/08 season and endured a horror 8-0 loss at Stamford Bridge as they romped to the title a year later.

Key to Chelsea's recent upturn in form has been Di Matteo's choice to reinstate the likes of Frank Lampard, as the coach adheres to at least part of the template which had served the team so well in the past.

Maligned striker Fernando Torres appears to have benefited from the change of manager, starting five of their past seven games and chiming in with three goals during that period.

Defender David Luiz has grown in confidence under Di Matteo too.

His assured performances at the back have been part of the reason Chelsea has been able to piece together seven wins and a draw in the ten games since the former West Brom manager took charge.

Captain John Terry remains doubtful for the clash having come off against Benfica after suffering from breathing problems induced by two broken ribs.

Wigan will hand Hugo Rodallega (knee) a late fitness test ahead of the trip, with Mohamed Diame (groin/pelvis) also no certainty to be involved.

Roberto Martinez's side needed a late-season surge to remain in the Premier League last campaign, with wins in their final two fixtures capping off a stunning tale of survival.

History would suggest Chelsea are on the verge of yet another three points, but while Wigan looked dead and buried two months ago, a considerably more confident side will stride onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

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