Wigan v Aston Villa preview

Latics keen to bounce back from heavy defeat against high-flying Villa

Last updated: 16th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Wigan v Aston Villa preview

Martinez: Struggled for consistency

PREDICTIONS:

Skysports.com prediction: 1-2

SKY BET odds: Wigan 12/5, Draw 9/4, Villa 6/5

One to Watch: James Milner

A scorecast with James Milner to score first and Aston Villa to win 2-1 is 40/1 so a £10 stake returns £410. Bet on Tuesday's match

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Wigan will be looking to edge clear of trouble on Tuesday, while Aston Villa are keen to keep pace with the top four.

The Latics enter the midweek contest with their Premier League fate still hanging in the balance, with just four points separating them from the relegation zone.

They have struggled for consistency all season and have tasted defeat in three of their last four top-flight outings.

Roberto Martinez's men were hammered 4-0 by fellow strugglers Bolton last time out and have scored only one goal in their last five fixtures.

In contrast, Villa head into the game on the back of a morale-boosting seven-match unbeaten run.

They have drawn five of those matches, keeping them six points adrift of the UEFA Champions League places, but they will travel to the North West in buoyant mood.

They have kept five clean sheets during their impressive recent run and will take heart from the fact that only one of their previous nine Premier League meetings with Wigan has ended as a home win.

Of greater concern to Martin O'Neill will be the fact that he has never won a top-flight fixture in the month of March during his four-year tenure at Villa Park.

Goals have also proved to be a problem for the Midlanders at times this season, with Villa drawing a blank in six of their last nine games.

Team news

Wigan have close to a fully-fit squad available for the crunch clash.

Captain Mario Melchiot is manager Martinez's only major absentee with the thigh injury which has kept him out for the last two games.

January arrival Steve Gohouri is also continuing to work towards full fitness but the rest of the Latics squad are fit.

Aston Villa's leading scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor could return to their starting line-up at the DW Stadium.

Agbonlahor missed the FA Cup quarter-final win at Reading through illness and was only named among the substitutes for the weekend's goalless draw at Stoke.

But he is now back to full fitness and may dislodge either John Carew or former Wigan striker Emile Heskey as Villa look to maintain their 2010 unbeaten league record.

Possible starting XIs

Wigan: Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Caldwell, Figueroa, McCarthy, Diame, Scharner, N'Zogbia, Moses, Rodallega.

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Collins, Dunne, Warnock, Ashley Young, Petrov, Milner, Downing, Heskey, Agbonlahor.