Wigan Athletic vs Lincoln City: Preview: Form, Injuries and More!

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After a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Blackpool at Sincil Bank midweek, City will look to return to winning ways as they travel to Manchester to face Wigan Athletic, writes Darragh Tracy. 

Wigan Athletic Form

Wigan Athletic have had a rough few years, on and off the pitch. The Manchester outfit were comfortably relegated from the second tier two seasons ago, and they have not been able to regain any sort of consistent winning form since. The Latics fortunes were out of their players control for the most part however, as behind the sciences, the higher-ups within the club were behaving irresponsibly. The consistent mismanagement in financial affairs led to several points deductions, and Wigan started the 23/24 eight points behind everyone else.

Shaun Maloney guided the Tics to a respectable 12th-place finish, despite all the disadvantages the club was facing off-field. The Latics would have only missed out on the playoffs by six points if no deductions were imposed, so Wigan held out hope that on an even playing field, they would be able to go one step further and finish in the top six.

A 1-0 defeat at home to Charlton on the opening day wasn’t the start the Latics wanted. A 2-0 loss to Reading followed, and the impressions Wigan were making early in the season certainly weren’t positive. Their first victory of the season came at home to Crawley Town,  and that was backed up with a good performance on the road to current champions-elect Birmingham City. Green shoots of form were starting to appear for Wigan at the start of September, as the Latics thumped Bristol Rovers 4-0 away from home early in the month.

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These positive signs were quickly washed away however, as goals stared to become scarce for Wigan. After four scoreless draws within the next six matches, the Latics sat 15th a dozen games into the season. Over the course of the next few months, the Manchester outfit produced some good results, but they were inconsistent, and too often blew hot or cold. At Christmas, Wigan Athletic positioned in the same place they did twelve games into the season.

More recently, Wigan have picked up six points from a possible 12. Wins away in Stevenage and at home to Bristol Rovers, coupled with defeats to Burton and Peterborough, prove that we do not know which Wigan side could turn up on Saturday. One thing is for sure though, if the Imps turn up with the attacking impetus we showcased against Peterborough last Saturday, and do not give away goals similar to those in the Blackpool game, we have a very good chance of coming away from Manchester with a massive three points.

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Wigan Athletic Tactics

Usually interchanging between the 4-2-3-1 and a 4-1-4-1 formations, Wigan do like to maintain possession. Some of the Latics strengths are playing confidently in their own half, creating chances through individual skill or brilliance and converting from set piece situations. Wigan have recently lost star player Thelo Aasgaard to Luton for a reported £3 million, who usually either scored or delivered set pieces, so maybe that threat might not be as dangerous for the Imps on Saturday.

The Latics, similar to Lincoln, are vulnerable to an individual mistake that leads to an opposition goal. Both the Imps and Wigan have had seven player errors that have led to goals, which is the joint-highest in the league. Aerial duels are also an issue for Wigan, conceding four goals from set-pieces this season. The main difference between these sides however is the directness of play. We know the Imps like a long ball, as in every eleven passes, one is likely to be a direct ball forward. Wigan on the other hand are only likely to hit a long pass once in every 23 passes, highlighting their want to keep possession.

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Previous Meetings

City haven’t lost at the DW stadium in their last three matches at the ground, after successive 2-1 victories in 2021 and 2022 and a goalless draw last campaign. The Imps last loss against Wigan came last season, as a 90th minute Jonny Smith goal gave the Tics all three points, a result that cost the Imps a playoff position.