Matchday two in the EFL League One will see Wigan Athletic look to continue their winning start to the season when they take on Northampton Town at DW Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts got their season off to an excellent start as they overcame Derby County 2-1 in their opening match of the season, while the visitors suffered a 1-0 defeat against Stevenage.
Match preview
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Following their relegation from the Championship and a season marred by financial troubles, Wigan commenced the 2023-24 campaign with the burden of an eight-point deduction.
That means that while they did win their last match 2-1, which would have seen them in the top half of the table after matchday one, they are instead at the foot of the table with -5 points as it stands and were ejected from the EFL Cup by Wrexham last week.
However, even with the challenge of navigating an eight-point deduction at the start of this term, manager Shaun Maloney appears to be making significant inroads and has brought a much-needed sense of stability to DW Stadium.
Upon assuming leadership of the Latics, Maloney inherited a team with the Championship's worst defensive record, but since his arrival, that has improved to the fifth-best defence in the league, conceding just 16 goals in 18 matches.
While a push for promotion might appear ambitious for this season, particularly considering the points deduction at the outset, Maloney will not rule out aspirations for his team to secure a top-half finish, given the quality present within their ranks.
Meanwhile, Northampton Town enjoyed a successful 2021-22 campaign as they managed to secure promotion to League One after finishing third in League Two behind Stevenage and Leyton Orient.
Over the course of last season, they secured 83 points with a record of 23 wins, 14 draws and nine losses in 46 matches while losing only once in their final six matches of the league campaign.
However, the visitors season this year could not have gotten off to a worse start as they come into this match following a 3-0 loss to Swansea City in midweek which saw them exit the EFL Cup in the first round.
That result came after a very poor display in their opening match of the season at home to Stevenage, which they lost 1-0, with Carl Piergianni scoring the only goal of the game in the 80th minute.
Northampton Town have only beaten Wigan Athletic once in their last six encounters, which was a 3-2 win back in October 2020, and based on their performance over the last two weeks, they will likely find it difficult to get their first points in the league in this one.
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Team News
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Charlie Wyke's brace against Derby County in the opening match of the season should be enough to ensure that he continues to lead the line for the hosts in this match.
Behind him, the developing partnership of Callum Long and Stephen Humphrys should continue, while former Arsenal youth prospect Matt Smith will be hoping to join them potentially in place of Callum McManaman.
New signing Emmanuel Monthe looked good in a three-man defence against Stevenage despite losing the match, and he should continue alongside John Guthrie and Sam Sherring.
Ex-Brighton and Hove Albion player Marc Leonard also put in a solid performance in midfield and will likely partner Patrick Brough in front of the defence in this one.
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Tickle; Clare, Hughes, Morrison, Pearce; Smith, Aasgaard, Humphrys, Lang, McManaman; Wyke
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Burge; Sherring, Guthrie, Monthe; Odimayo, Brough, Leonard, Sowerby, Pinnock; Hoskins, Simpson
We say: Wigan Athletic 1-2 Northampton Town
While Wigan did suffer a somewhat unexpected defeat in midweek, we expect that they will bounce back with a solid performance in this one. The hosts have looked poor over their past two matches this season, and while we feel they will get on the scoresheet, the visitors should outscore them by the final whistle.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
