Our prediction for this Championship match:
Swansea City and Wigan Athletic face each other at Swansea.com Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Swans want to regain their spot in top six, and we are positive that they will adopt an attack-minded approach against Wigan. Both Joe Allen and Liam Walsh should miss out with injuries for the home team, while Ireland forward Michael Obafemi is widely expected to return to the starting XI after coming as a substitute in a 1-0 loss at Preston.
The Latics, on the other hand, dropped to the relegation zone following five consecutive league defeats. Since the visitors are low on spirits ahead of the trip to South Wales, home win should definitely be considered. Midfielder Graeme Shinnie returns to the starting XI after missing the midweek game through suspension, whereas Callum Lang has yet to recover from an ankle problem.
Highlighted Player (Joe Allen):
Joe Allen is another high-quality footballer from the new generation of Wales internationals, who was part of the team that took Swansea from League One to the Premier League, and he had no problems adapting to arguably the strongest league championship in Europe.
Allen operated as a deep-lying playmaker as the Swans impressed upon reaching the elite division, with his excellent passing skills persuading Liverpool to splash £15 million on his services. The central midfielder didn’t exactly manage to develop into an indispensable member of the side at Anfield, but he is considered an important squad player and has always performed well when called upon.
Meanwhile, he has been one of the pillars of the most successful team in the Wales history together with Gareth Bale, Ashley Williams and Aaron Ramsey, while even representing Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Allen started five games for the Dragons as they secured the first ever appearance at the European Championship finals.
Highlighted Team (Wigan):
Wigan Athletic are one of the winners of the English FA Cup. The Latics won the prestigious trophy in 2013, with the team upsetting Manchester City in the title game. This is considered the club’s biggest success, but it has to be noted that Wigan played in the UEFA Europa League in the 2013/2014 season.
Wigan have been playing their home games at the DW Stadium since 1999 and they had played at Springfield Park in the past. Chorley are considered Wigan’s fierce rivals, but the two teams last met in 1971, when they competed in the Northern Premier League. The likes of Preston North End, Bury, Oldham Athletic, Burnley and Blackburn Rovers are regarded as Wigan Athletic’s rivals as well.
The club was founded in 1932 and they competed in the English Premier League from 2005 to 2013. The colour of Wigan’s home kit is blue and white (stripes).