Arsenal vs Wigan preview
Posted on | December 4, 2008 | No Comments
Game : Arsenal ( 4th- 26 points) vs Wigan Athletic (11th- 19 points)
Competition : English Premier League
Venue : Emirates Stadium, London, England
Date : Saturday, December 6, 2008
Kickoff : 15.00 GMT
Fresh from their 2-1 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week, Arsenal will hope to beat Wigan Athletic when the two teams meet at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal’s youngsters lost to Burnley in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, but since most of the first team weren’t involved, it would not have affected the team’s morale too much. Robin Van Persie scored a brace against Chelsea, and the former Feyenoord hitman will be keen to find the back of the net against Wigan too. With Theo Walcott out, Arsene Wenger is likely to persist with Denilson on the right flank. William Gallas is a slight doubt after having picked up a calf injury against Chelsea. Eduardo and Tomas Rosicky continue to remain absentees, while Ivorian Emmanuel Eboue is unlikely to feature in this game too.
Arsenal- last five games ( all competitions- scorers in brackets)
Burnley 2-0 Arsenal
Chelsea 1-2 Arsenal ( Robin Van Persie*2)
Arsenal 1-0 Dynamo Kiev ( Nicklas Bendtner)
Man City 3-0 Arsenal
Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa
Arsenal last five at home ( latest first)
Arsenal 1-0 Dynamo Kiev ( Nicklas Bendtner)
Arsenal 0-2 Aston Villa
Arsenal 3-0 Wigan- Carling Cup ( Jay Simpson*2, Carlos Vela)
Arsenal 2-1 Manchester United ( Samir Nasri*2)
Arsenal 0-0 Fenerbahce
Wigan have not lost in their last five Premiership games, and Steve Bruce’s men have won two on the trot- against Everton and West Bromwich Albion. Goalkeeper Chris Kirkland was excellent against West Brom, a match which was a must win for the Latics. With Amr Zaki likely to be fit, Steve Bruce has to decide which two among Zaki, Camara and Heskey will start. Paul Scharner, Oliver Kapo, Mario Melchiot and Jason Koumas are also fit.
Wigan last five games- all competitions
Wigan 2-1 West Bromwich Albion ( Henri Camara, Emmerson Boyce)
Wigan 1-0 Everton ( Henri Camara)
Newcastle 2-2 Wigan ( Ryan Taylor, Titus Bramble)
Arsenal 3-0 Wigan- Carling Cup
Wigan 0-0 Stoke City
Wigan last five games away
Newcastle 2-2 Wigan ( Ryan Taylor, Titus Bramble)
Arsenal 3-0 Wigan- Carling Cup
Portsmouth 1-2 Wigan ( Amr Zaki, Emile Heskey)
Fulham 2-0 Wigan
Liverpool 3-2 Wigan ( Amr Zaki*2)
Corresponding fixture last season
Arsenal 2-0 Wigan ( William Gallas ’83, Tomas Rosicky ’85)
By logic, if Arsenal’s youngsters could dismantle Wigan, their senior team should also be able to do it. But that isn’t always the way it goes. Yet, I’ll back Arsenal to win 2-1, with Van Persie, Nasri and Heskey scoring.
Related posts:
- Wigan vs Arsenal preview betting- December 29
- Wigan Athletic v Arsenal
- Manchester United vs Wigan Athletic preview
- Tottenham Hotspur vs Wigan preview- FA Cup
- Wigan Athletic vs. Chelsea Betting Preview
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