Bristol City vs Wigan preview: Championship clash live on Sky Sports Football Red Button
Watch live on Sky Sports Football from 1.25pm on Sunday; Kick-off is at 1.30pm
Friday 25 October 2019 15:58, UK
Bristol City face Wigan in the Sky Bet Championship on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football.
Team news
Bristol City will be without suspended striker Famara Diedhiou for Sunday's home game against Wigan. Diedhiou was shown a straight red card after stepping off the bench in the midweek home win against Charlton for kicking out at visiting defender Jason Pearce.
Defender Jack Hunt has been ruled out until after next month's international break after scans revealed the full extent of his hamstring injury. Midfielder Adam Nagy (ankle), Tomas Kalas (hamstring), Jay Dasilva (ankle), Korey Smith (foot) and Saikou Janneh (knee) are all still out.
Wigan's on-loan Blackburn defender Charlie Mulgrew will not feature after sustaining a hamstring injury in the midweek defeat at Derby. Left-back Nathan Byrne is available after serving a one-game ban and boss Paul Cook must decide whether to recall him or retain Chelsea loanee Dujon Sterling, who made his league debut for the club on Wednesday night.
Winger Michael Jacobs is pushing for a recall. He was rested against Derby after recently returning from a hamstring injury. Midfielder Lee Evans is working his way back from injury after missing the last three matches.
Recent form
Bristol City's dramatic 2-1 stoppage-time win over Charlton on Wednesday gave Lee Johnson's men their second win in three games and went some way to erasing memories of last Saturday's forgettable 3-0 defeat away at Luton in the process. Before the international break, they'd beaten Reading after three straight draws to Brentford, Preston and Swansea.
Graham Shinnie's 92nd-minute winner ensured Wigan were beaten 1-0 by Derby at Pride Park in midweek, with the Latics having beaten Nottingham Forest by the same scoreline at the DW Stadium just a few days earlier. In contrast to City, they entered the international break with a 1-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
What the managers said...
Bristol City boss Lee Johnson: TBC
Wigan boss Paul Cook: "We're really looking forward to going down to Bristol. They're developing into one of the stronger teams in the division over time, which is great credit to Lee Johnson, his staff, the players and the people who work behind the scenes at the club.
"We've licked our wounds from Wednesday night, we've regrouped and we've organised ourselves to make sure we can create the same chances that we did at Derby, then it comes down the players. We're in a position in the league now where there are a number of teams in and around us picking up similar results. For us now it's all about how we can take the game to Bristol City like we did to Derby, and how we can score goals."
Talking point: Latics troubles continue on the road
The away woes continued for Wigan in midweek, as they were beaten 1-0 by Derby at Pride Park. They men are yet to win on the road this campaign and the fact they have won just twice away from home since the beginning of last season is surely a cause for concern.
Paul Cook's men continue to hover just a few points above the relegation zone, but a look at their home form delivers quite the surprise. From six games, they've won four, drawn one and lost one. Fans will hope the antidote to their troubles on the road is found soon, but should they keep grinding out points at the DW Stadium the outlook doesn't appear quite as bleak.
Latest highlights
Opta stats
Bristol City failed to win either of their two league games against Wigan last season (W0 D1 L1), including a 2-2 draw at Ashton Gate in April 2019.
Wigan have won one of their last eight away league matches against Bristol City (W1 D4 L3), a 1-0 win in January 2003 under Paul Jewell.
Since their opening day defeat to Leeds (1-3), Bristol City have lost only one of their last 12 matches in the Championship (W6 D5 L1).
Wigan are without an away league win in eight matches (D2 L6), since a 2-1 win versus Leeds at Elland Road in April.
Wigan manager Paul Cook has only won one of his four previous matches against Bristol City as manager (W1 D1 L2), although that victory did come against Lee Johnson's Robins in September 2018 (1-0).
No Bristol City player has created more goalscoring chances (19) or provided more assists (3) in the Championship this term than Niclas Eliasson. Indeed, since the start of last season, Eliasson has more league assists than any other Robins player (9).
Prutton's prediction
What a big win for Bristol City that was in midweek, as they came from behind and then snatched the victory with virtually the last kick of the game - and with 10 men at the end. For a side that narrowly missed out on the play-offs last season, those could be a huge couple of points come May.
Wigan were on the wrong end of a last-gasp defeat in midweek, and with points on the road so hard to come by that will have been a real blow for them. We all know what Paul Cook's side are about, but I think they will just about get edged out at Ashton Gate.
David Prutton predicts: 1-0 (13/2 with Sky Bet)
