Wigan Athletic vs Sunderland - Match Preview

Just two days after their incredible victory against top of the table Manchester City at the Stadium of Light, Martin O'Neill takes his newly spirited Sunderland side to Wigan for a 7.45pm kick-off tonight. This is the side whose win against a dejected Wearsiders back in November cost former manager Steve Bruce his job at the North East club and it will be interesting to see how their fortunes fare tonight after the jubilations of Sunday evening. Sunderland are finally gathering some momentum. They have taken as many points in O'Neill's five games in charge as Steve Bruce managed in a dozen Premier League games previous this season and suddenly there's a confidence with the Black Cats. They worked so hard against Manchester City and frustrated them so much that they kept out their high-earning stars and they willed the most memorable of goals at the death. Their opponents Wigan have been on something of a roll lately too. Since that game at Sunderland they have only lost two of their last eight (against Arsenal and Man United) and have managed to take points from Liverpool, Chelsea and Stoke. The Latics have a new found confidence too and they will see this fixture tonight as a crucial one to break out of the relegation zone. It is a fascinating encounter tonight... one that might determine whether Sunderland are going to be strugglers this season or not and one that game that if Wigan can't get up for this one, which games can they?

Team News

Wigan Captain Gary Caldwell serves a one-match suspension and will miss tonight's game. Emmerson Boyce is still recovering from a hamstring injury and won't be fit in time for tonight. With so many defenders injured (Michael Turner, Phil Bardsley and Titus Bramble are not expected to play tonight), Martin O'Neill will be counting on Wes Brown to shack off a groin problem that saw him limp off against Manchester City. Simon Mignolet should continue in goal for Sunderland wearing his protective nose and eye-socket face mask. Kieren Westwood missed Sunday's game with the same virus that forced Kieran Richardson to miss the match and almost ruled out Sebastian Larsson. Long time knee injuries keep Connor Wickham, Fraizer Campbell and Craig Gordon on the sidelines. Line-ups from; Wigan (from): Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Watson, Diame, Moses, Gomez, McCarthy, Di Santo, Jones, Stam, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Lopez, Thomas, Sammon, Maloney, Crusat, Gohouri, Rodallega, Pollitt, Kirkland. Sunderland (from): Mignolet, Westwood, Carson, Brown, O'Shea, Kilgallon, Laing, Egan, Cattermole, Richardson, Gardner, Vaughan, Larsson, Colback, Elmohamady, McClean, Meyler, Sessegnon, Bendtner, Wickham, Ji, R Noble.