Last week I said that the Blackburn game was a must win, a crucial six pointer. Looking back, a point is better than none. It was a devastating blow to be robbed of a win so deep in stoppage time, especially with the incident which we are all familiar with by now. I don’t want to dwell too much on last weeks negative points but in no uncertain terms, the referee has cost us the game with a decision that was diabolical. How he can allow the 2nd goal to stand is beyond me. Victor Moses is unlucky not to be awarded a penalty in the first half but those kind of decisions will come and go for any team throughout the season. The positives saw a change in shape and a sharper and brighter performance from the team. Playing 5 at the back worked extremely well in my opinion and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Martinez adopt the same system on Saturday.
It’s fair to say that we have not been at our best away from home so far this season. One draw and four defeats makes for grim reading, a change in fortune at the Stadium of Light could give us the momentum we need with the run of games we have coming up. One thing that was overlooked from last week was that the run of straight defeats came to an end, even though at the final whistle it did feel like a loss. Stopping the rot was crucial and now we need to go back to being organised, hard to beat and doing the all important thing, picking up points.
Sunderland are having a topsy-turvy season so far. Having signed a new squad in the summer, Steve Bruce is under some pressure to get his side into the top half of the table. Solid wins at Bolton and the 4-0 home thumping against Stoke have shown that they do possess quality and are a very dangerous side to play against. Keeping the home crowd quiet is something we have to do for the first 10-15 minutes.
WiganTeam News
James McCarthy and Franco Di Santo are doubts ahead of the game but I’d expect McCarthy to be fit enough to start, otherwise Ben Watson could be drafted into midfield as his replacement. Antolin Alcaraz will sit out the 2nd of his 3 game ban.
Predicted Wigan Team
Al-Habsi
Gohouri Caldwell Figueroa
Stam Jones
Gomez McCarthy Diame Moses
Sammon
Key Player for Sunderland
Nicklas Bendtner – On loan from Arsenal, Bendtner is a player who is extremely underestimated. He’s strong, powerful in the air and is an instinctive finisher. If we do go with 5 at the back as we did last week, the defenders will have to be on guard as the Dane can pull off moments of brilliance and unpredictability.
Wiganer.net Prediction
A very tough game and we have an indifferent record up at Sunderland. Our last win came when Steve Bruce was in charge which saw Ben Watson and Charles N’Zogbia grab their first goals for the club. A point would be a good result but a win would drag our opponents down into the relegation fight with us. As I said last week, we have to score the first goal to give us some real confidence and if we do that, we can sneak a win.
SAFC 1-2 WAFC