Almost every Aston Villa fan would have accepted at the start of this campaign that a high league finish was going to be a major challenge this season. Whilst cup success was partnered by decent performances in the league under Martin O’Neill the comparative lack of strength in depth through the Villa squad was always going to hamper attempts to break into the upper echelons on the division.
That said, just how laboured Villa have looked at times this season has shocked many, particularly as this weekend’s battle at the DW stadium has the look of a relegation six pointer about it.
Wigan have stopped shipping goals in the fashion they did earlier on in the campaign, however they have struggled to score enough themselves to pull away from an incredibly tight relegation battle.
Both sides, Villa in particular, will be eyeing the coming weeks with a certain sense of dread, particularly with a series of season defining fixtures on the horizon. Gerard Houllier is desperate to supplement his inexperienced squad with some proven match winners, and the current soft-centred Villa defence may well gift Wigan a pre-Christmas point.
Prediction: 1-1
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You can get odds of 5/1 on a 1-1 draw
