Wigan vs Aston Villa

29/12- Two teams at the opposite end of the table with opposite fortunes and opposite current forms clash when Wigan play hosts to Aston Villa. Aston Villa were highly impressive in the first half of the season and with a place in the top half of the table, they have been fighting for a European championship spot however off late the team seems to be struggling, out of their last 5 matches 2 have been losses and 3 have been draws, the last one being against Chelsea. On the other hand Wigan had a disastrous campaign opening and found themselves in the relegation zone for long and all of a sudden they have changed and are looking much more of a fighting team and this has helped them climb to the 17^th spot and out of the relegation zone. They have won 2 of their last 5 encounters, drawn 2 and lost only 1, this seems to be the effect of the return of their star striker Heskey.

 

Wigan’s home record has been much better than their over all performance this season and hence they would be expecting to continue their stay outside the relegation zone and would also be hoping for a good show so that they can get away from the bottom part of the table. Bent has played a phenomenal role in the success of this team and a lot would be expected of him in this home tie. With the fans cheering their team’s revival, the players would be keen to do well as well.

 

Aston Villa on the other hand would take heart out of the way they fought Chelsea in the last tie and held the home side for a 4-4 draw. They showed that they had the heart to take on the best teams but in the process lost a defender in the form of Knight being suspended. Agbonlahor and Barry would be expected to net something in order to get the club a much awaited win.

 

Prediction: 2-1, Wigan win