Liverpool will travel to Wigan Athletic’s DW Stadium on Saturday 2nd March in an evening kick-off in the Barclays Premier League.
The two teams have been struggling slightly and performances have not been consistent on both parts. Wigan have won half of their last six games, with the victories coming against weaker opposition however, in the form of Reading, Huddersfield and Macclesfield, although the latest match away against Reading did show signs of things to come. They are currently 17th in the league, one place above the relegation zone, level on 24 points with fellow strugglers Aston Villa who are 18th. Striker Arouna Kone is on fire, scoring six goals in his last six games.
Liverpool, on the other hand, play their first match after crashing out of the Europa League against Zenit St. Petersburg last Thursday despite an admirable performance. They have only won two out of their last six, including a 5-0 demolition of Capital One Cup winners Swansea and their 3-1 win against Zenit in the home fixture at Anfield, which featured two brilliant Luis Suarez free-kicks. The Reds sit in 8th place in the table, one point behind West Brom and three points behind Merseyside rivals Everton.
There have been key injuries at both clubs lately, which has evidently impacted on performance. Wigan’s Spanish defender, Adrian Lopez, may return after playing his first 90 minutes since December recently, as may fellow defender Antolin Alcaraz. However, Maynor Figueroa, could possibly miss the match with a knee injury, whilst Ryu Miyaichi will complete a late fitness test after being out for three months through injury. For Liverpool, Daniel Sturridge has been carrying a slight knock and will be assessed ahead of the game, whilst defender Martin Skrtel is fit again after a knee injury.
Both sides will be desperate to win this game for very different reasons. Liverpool are trying to push for a Europa League spot whilst Wigan are trying to avoid the drop, so it is certain that both teams will be playing highly attacking football which will make it a very interesting game – not one to be missed!
