Stoke City have been magnificent this season. Their football has not got many admirers but they will not care and most other smaller club fans will not either. The direct style which they play is similar to how Bolton adapted to the Premier League when they came up so Stoke fans will want to have the same kind of success in comparison to Bolton, Blackburn and of course Wigan.
One of the players who has taken centre stage is Rory Delap with his enormous long throw. The tactic has caught out so many teams this season and Saturday will be another huge test for the Wigan defence who coped well earlier in the season in a disappointing 0-0 draw between the two teams.
Tony Pulis, who is a contender for manager of the season, spent very wisely in January when he went out and bought James Beattie from Sheffield United. Beattie was a regular scorer in the Championship and his form continued when he moved to the Britannia Stadium. His goals helped rejuvenate the side who are now sitting in 12th position in the league, a place where barely anyone expected them to be come May.
Wigan put in a fantastic performance on Wednesday night and were unlucky to lose but how often has that been said against the top four sides in England? Who knows what another goal in the first half would have done but it has gone now and the squad must look towards Stoke on Saturday.
Wigan Team News
Paul Scharner is a doubt after struggling to come through the game on Wednesday night with a knee problem. Mido is pushing for a start after coming on as a substitute against United but was not near match fitness and struggled to make an impact. Amr Zaki could make the bench after his knee problem was not as bad as first feared and Chris Kirkland may return but Steve Bruce may opt to keep the same team that played on Wednesday night.
Wigan Predicted Line Up
Kingson
Melchiot Boyce Bramble Figueroa
Valencia Brown Scharner Cattermole N'Zogbia
Rodallega
Key Players For Stoke City
Abdoulaye Faye - The rock at the heart of the Stoke defence. Faye made a huge impact during his time at Bolton Wanderers and has continued his form at Stoke, despite a poor spell at Newcastle. He is fast and strong with great aerial ability.
Ryan Shawcross - Shawcross is Faye's partner at the back and has formed a great partnership with the Senegalese centre half. Shawcross's huge height make him a serious threat from corners and Delap's long throws.
Liam Lawrence - The former Sunderland man has led by example this season and his Premier League experience seems to have helped the squad in their quest for survival. Scored a great goal at Hull last week and is always looking to support the front men.
Rory Delap - Delap is always going to be a threat, purely because of his throwing ability. The pitch is suited for the way Stoke play and this suits Delap really well as the distance from the edge of the box to the touchline is not as far as most other Premier League grounds. Wigan will be in for a busy afternoon.
WIGANER.net Prediction
After the game on Wednesday night, the hope is that the squad are fit and ready for the game while Stoke have had a week to prepare and will be raring to go. Stoke fans create a fantastic atmosphere so the travelling support will have to create a volume when they can to spur on the team. a draw could be on the cards in a close match between two rivals
WAFC 1-1 SCFC
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