English Premier
2011-08-27 - Wigan vs QPR
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Saturday 27 August 2011 - Kickoff 12:30pm
Wigan
Roberto Martinez decided that he would stay at Wigan over the Summer after the club was approached by Aston Villa in relation to the then vacant manager's job. That does not mean players have thought the same way and the loss of Charles N'Zogbia to Villa is a tough one to overcome.
The Latics were given an interesting fixture list to start the new season as they were pitted against all 3 promoted sides in the first 3 games. Martinez spoke about the difficulties of playing the 'excited and enthusiastic' newcomers early in the season, but he may be more disappointed that his side have not picked up more than the 2 points they have gained.
Wigan should have had more points from their home game with Norwich and trip to Swansea considering the goalkeeper made a mistake for Norwich's equaliser on the opening day and they then hit the woodwork twice and missed a penalty at Swansea. Wigan are unbeaten in their last 6 Premier League games and they are 3-3-1 in their last 7 at the DW Stadium.
Antolin Alcaraz has been ruled out for the next month at a minimum after injuring himself at Swansea. Steve Gohouri is set to miss out again, but Victor Moses could be in the squad.
QPR
Neil Warnock reeked of bitterness following his sides exit from the Carling Cup during the week and all the good feeling from Tony Fernandes' takeover was removed. While funds are now available, it still looks a tough market for Rangers to get involved in and only Joey Barton is likely to arrive in time for this game.
It looked like QPR were in for a tough season following a harsh reintroduction to the Premier League when they were beaten 0-4 at home to Bolton. However, they are up to 9th in the table following a 'smash and grab' effort at Goodison Park last week when the team rode their luck in a 0-1 win.
A 0-2 home loss to Rochdale during the week was disregarded by Warnock who said he was 'happy' his side had fallen out of the competition. QPR are unbeaten in their last 4 away games since the back end of last season. They had lost 13 of their last 15 away games in the Premier League during the season when they were relegated in 1996.
Neil Warnock is still hopeful that Joey Barton will sign for the club in time to make his debut in this game, and Barton has said he will make a decision on his future today. Clint Hill has 1 game left on his suspension, while Rob Hulse, Kieron Dyer and Jamie Mackie are injured.
Head to Head
Wigan and QPR last met in the 2004/05 season and they drew here 0-0.
Wigan are 0-2-1 in their last 3 home games against QPR.
Prediction
The biggest problem for Wigan this season will be if they can get enough goals out of a side that is missing a huge influence in the shape of Charles N'Zogbia. That was in evidence last week at Swansea when they came so close to breaking the deadlock that would have led to the win.
QPR really rode their luck in beating an Everton side that were playing their first competitive match of the season and they may find things a little tougher this week and beyond if they allow as many clear cut chances as they did last week.
Things got a little stranger during the week as Adel Taarabt showed his displeasure at the way the team lost to Rochdale at home. While Taarabt was a huge influence in the Championship last season, he has found it tougher in the Premier League so far. Whether that is down to ability or the fact he had his head turned by PSG in the Summer is yet to be determined.
With the mystery surrounding Joey Barton and whether he will sign in time, as well as the Adel Taarabt saga, I can see Wigan doing enough to get a win here. They play some very good football and could easily have had 4 or 6 points from their games so far this season.
Wigan have proved tougher to beat at home last season, especially in the last few months, and I will back them for a small interest.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Wigan 1-0 QPR
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Wigan Athletic to win @ 2.38
