Aiming to extend their unbeaten run in the division to three matches, Wigan Athletic will welcome Stevenage to The Brick Community Stadium on Tuesday night for a League One clash.
The Latics were forced to share the spoils away from home on the weekend, whilst the Boro suffered a worrying defeat at the home of Exeter City in Devon last time out.
Match preview
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After a resounding four-goal thumping of Bristol Rovers in the West Country on September 14, Wigan Athletic were unable to make it back-to-back away successes in League One on Saturday afternoon, when they were forced to settle for a point against an in-form Lincoln City side.
Despite dominating possession at the LNER Stadium, the Latics did little to pose a threat on the Imps' net, with the visitors managing just the single shot on target throughout the course of the 90 minutes, as the likes of Joe Hugill and Thelo Aasgaard failed to burst into action.
Nevertheless, a solid return of four points from their last two League One contests has allowed Wigan to move up to 14th in the third-tier standings ahead of Tuesday night's clash at The Brick Community Stadium, four points behind Lincoln in the lowest of the playoff spots.
The Latics will be striving for a much-improved performance compared to their most recent game at their North-West home, with Tuesday's hosts losing 2-1 to League Two outfit Morecambe in early September in the 2024-25 edition of the EFL Trophy, leaving Wigan's progress in the competition in the balance.
Taking charge of the club midway through their Championship relegation campaign of 2022-23, Shaun Maloney has been trusted with rebuilding Wigan on the pitch in the third tier, with the FA Cup winner set to take the managerial hotseat for the 80th time as Latics boss on Tuesday.
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After missing out on a top-six place by just five points last campaign, Stevenage are on a mission to go one step further this season and claim a playoff berth, however Tuesday's visitors are currently struggling with major inconsistency at the beginning of the 2024-25 schedule.
Likely to be a rival in the playoff race, Barnsley were the opponents for Boro at the Lamex Stadium on September 14 and the latter recorded a 3-0 thumping of the Tykes, however Alex Revell's troops failed to build any momentum due to a sobering defeat on Saturday afternoon.
Stevenage did not muster up a single shot at Joe Whitworth's net in Devon against Exeter on the weekend, with goals either side of the half-time whistle from Edward Francis and Kami Doyle securing a two-goal victory for Gary Caldwell's midtable Grecians.
With all three of their competitive wins coming at their Hertfordshire base so far this season, the Boro will not be too confident of earning maximum points at The Brick Community Stadium on Tuesday, although Stevenage managed to beat Wigan at the venue back in January.
Ahead of this midweek clash, Wigan and Stevenage are sat in 14th and 15th respectively boasting identical records, with the winner of the clash potentially set to climb as high as ninth by the end of play on Tuesday night.
Team News
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After firing a blank at Lincoln on Saturday afternoon, Wigan could opt to make some attacking alterations, meaning that Dion Rankine's place in the XI under threat.
At 33 years of age, Callum McManaman offers experience and quality in abundance, meaning that he could be promoted from the bench for this clash.
With the Latics keeping a clean sheet at the LNER Stadium, right-back James Carragher should keep his spot alongside centre-back pairing Will Aimson and Jason Kerr.
Substituted late on in the first half at Exeter, defender Charlie Goode is a doubt for Stevenage as they travel to the home of Wigan on Tuesday.
As a result, natural left-back Dan Butler could be in line to earn his fourth League One start of the campaign, partnering Carl Piergianni in the backline.
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Tickle; Carragher, Kerr, Aimson, Chambers; Smith, McManaman, Weir, Aasgaard, Thomas; Hugill
Stevenage possible starting lineup:
Mahoney; Wildin, Butler, Piergianni, Freestone; Freeman, King, White, Roberts; Reid, Aboh
We say: Wigan Athletic 1-0 Stevenage
Since the shock EFL Trophy defeat to Morecambe, Wigan have been impressive in back-to-back away matches and should be confident of recording a victory on home soil against Stevenage.
The Boro struggled massively on the road at Exeter on the weekend, and we feel that it is set to be a similar story at The Brick Community Stadium for the Hertfordshire club.
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