Warriors v Tigers: Teams

Chase: Missing for the Tigers after failing to recover from a leg injury

Shaun Wane: Looking to move one step closer to clinching the League Leaders' Shield

Wigan will be hoping to move one step closer to clinching the League Leaders' Shield when they face Castleford on Friday night.

The Warriors have a three-point lead over the Warrington Wolves at the top of the Stobart Super League table with six league games remaining in the regular season.

Shaun Wane's side are red-hot favourites to beat the Tigers who are 12th in the standings with six victories from their 21 league outings this term.

Wane is hoping to utilise 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins as inspiration for his squad with the Team Sky rider a massive Warriors fan.

"All our players are big football fans and cycling and golf; they all love other sports," Wane told the Wigan Observer.

"I'm the same and - with Bradley being a Wigan fan - I look forward to him coming to our changing room on matchdays and coming to training. He can do what he wants.

"His mental toughness must be unbelievable. We think we're tough but to do what he's doing on his own, it's easy to sit back and he had that two minute lead for so long - it was an outstanding effort, I was really impressed.

"We knew he was a Wigan fan. He's been in touch with the lads on Twitter and Facebook for months and months, I knew he was a big Wigan fan."

Home debut

Former Salford scrum-half Matty Smith makes his home debut for Wigan, who are without skipper Sean O'Loughlin after he damaged a hamstring in last week's win over London Broncos.

Castleford have been hit by the late withdrawal of half-back pair Rangi Chase and Jamie Ellis.

They have both failed to recover from leg injuries sustained in Sunday's home defeat by Warrington and the Tigers will also be without hooker Ryan Hudson, who has a stomach bug.

Coach Ian Millward commented: "It is disappointing that Rangi, Jamie and Ryan won't be available to us tonight. When naming Rangi and Jamie in the squad on Wednesday we were hopeful that they would be right.

"Our physio and the players themselves have worked really hard but unfortunately they have both failed late fitness tests and are not fit enough to play."

Millward has called prop Steve Nash, who has returned from a loan spell at Leigh, and back-rower Oliver Holmes into a revised 19-man squad.

Wigan: S. Tomkins, Charnley, Goulding, Carmont, Finch, McIlorum, Mossop, Hansen, Hock, Lima, Farrell, Tuson, Lauaki, Flower, Gelling, Hughes, Crosby, Thornley, Smith.

Castleford: Owen, Youngquest, Griffin, Orr, Emmitt, Huby, Snitch, Jones, Milner, Mitchell, Jackson, Millington, Massey, Thompson, Clare, Williams, Ellis, Nash, Holmes.

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