Championship: Wigan Athletic v Brighton & Hove Albion
By Sebastian Sternik
Wigan will be looking to move out of the relegation places when they take on in-form Brighton on Saturday.
The Latics currently sit second from bottom in the Championship table after winning just one of their last 10 league games. Gary Caldwell’s side will be boosted though, with the return of defenders Reece Burke and Kyle Knoyle.
The Wigan manager told the club’s website: “Everyone’s fine from Leeds; we’ve recovered well, other players have trained yesterday to prepare for the game so it’s been a good week injury wise and we have a full squad to pick from.”
A victory for Brighton could see them go level on points with the Championship leaders. Chris Houghton’s side are unbeaten in their last seven league games and will be looking to put the pressure on Norwich and current leaders Newcastle with a win over Wigan.
Houghton told the club’s website: We’ve got to make sure that with every game we play, we see it as an opportunity to stay up there and also create distance between us and the teams outside the top six.”
Brighton defender Lewis Dunk will not be available for selection as he serves a one-match ban. The Seagulls will also be without Liam Rosenior, Beram Kayal and Kazenga LuaLua who are all sidelined with ankle and knee injuries.
Striker Tomer Hemed was taken off as a precaution last Tuesday against Wolves but is expected to start when Brighton travel to the DW Stadium. Right-back Bruno could also feature as he makes a return from a groin injury.
Despite their lack of wins this season, Wigan are undefeated in their last four games. A late equaliser against Leeds United last Tuesday preserved that impressive run.