Wigan Athletic Versus Tottenham Hotspur Preview
By MattoftheSpurs
April 15 2007
Tottenham Hotspur travel to relegation prospects Wigan needing all three points to move back up the table into the euro spots. Wigan desperately need the points as they sit in 16th position just two points from a relegation place.
Wigan Athletic
Versus
Tottenham Hotspur
FA Premier League
15th April 2007
JJB Stadium
Kick Off: 1.30pm
Live on Sky Sports 1
Following the mid week defeat on aggregate to Sevilla Spurs must bounce back immediately if they wish to keep their hopes of playing in the UEFA Cup again next season.
Tottenham Hotspur travel to relegation prospects Wigan needing all three points to move back up the table into the euro spots. Wigan desperately need the points as they sit in 16th position just two points from a relegation place.
Wigan had never hosted the North Londoners at their previous ground Springfield Park. Tottenham’s first visit to the North West side was their meeting last term where goals from Robbie Keane and Edgar Davids secured the points for the lilywhites. The reverse fixture last season at White Hart Lane saw Wigan twice take the lead but get pegged back both times to earn each team a point in a 2-2 draw.
The reverse of this fixture this season saw Spurs come away with maximum points but not before Wigan had taken the lead. Twenty four minutes into the match a lively Wigan side made a decent move down the Spurs right which saw David Wright swing in a good cross. Ian McCulloch knocked the ball down for Camara whose shot sped past Robinson to make it 0-1 to the visitors. The score line stayed that way until the 42nd minute when Spurs finally sprung into life. Jermaine Defoe turned his marker inside out before lashing his shot past Kirkland for 1-1. Spurs scored a second a minute later when Berbatov nut megged Mat Jackson on the left, strode into the penalty area, and curled a delightful shot high into the Wigan net for 2-1. Despite both teams efforts in the second half the third and final Spurs goal did not come until the dying minutes of the match when Berbatov picked out the on rushing Lennon. The diminutive winger made no mistake and wrapped up the match for Spurs 3-1.
Spurs currently sit in 9th position, 3 points behind Everton in 6th but with an inferior goal difference. A win today would take Tottenham into 7th position with a game in hand on all those clustered around bar Everton. A win would place Tottenham in a handy position for their final assault on the euro spots and give the team some much needed confidence ahead of next weeks North London Derby after disappointing results against Chelsea and Sevilla.
A win for Wigan would see them leap frog Fulham in the table and go up one place to 15th. Wigan have just four games remaining after today’s match and 3 of those are against their fellow strugglers at the foot of the table. After Spurs Wigan travel to Liverpool before entertaining West Ham at the JJB. Next up is their final home game of the season against Middlesbrough before they travel to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United in what could be Wigan’s most important game of the season.
Wigan’s last win was a fine away victory at Eastland’s against Manchester City. Since then The Latics have drawn at home to Fulham in a dour 0-0, and have lost 0-1 at Charlton, and 1-3 at home to Bolton. Last time out Wigan held Aston Villa to a 1-1 draw at Villa Park.
Wigan may have to field a make shift defence against Spurs today. They could have up to four first team defenders out including de Zeeuw, Unsworth, Hall, and Boyce. Valencia is also missing due to suspension.
Ledley King made a surprise return for Spurs in mid week and is included in the squad again for this trip north. Lee, Assou-Ekotto, Gardner, Huddlestone and Stalteri are all likely to miss the match through injury but Rocha, who missed the Sevilla cup through being cup tied, is once again available. Chimbonda makes his first return to the JJB after leaving the Latics in acrimonious circumstances.
What supporters are assured of today is that there will be two teams both going to maximum points. Neither team can afford to drop a single point and a draw would be of not much use either.
Audere Est Facere.