By John Roder
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: DW Stadium Date: Saturday, 1 September KO 15:00 GMT
TEAM NEWS
Wigan’s Antolin Alcaraz is suspended after his red card in the midweek League Cup win over Nottingham Forest.
Manager Roberto Martinez is likely to make several changes from the second-string team he fielded for that game.
Stoke will give a fitness test to winger Matthew Etherington, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring problem.
Mamady Sidibe and Jamie Ness are injured but new signings Charlie Adam and Maurice Edu are eligible.
MATCH PREVIEW
I’ve been in Japan working at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, so last Saturday I went to see the J-League match between Vissel Kobe and Sagan Tosu. The game didn’t get a mention here in England, nor did any of the other matches in Japan’s top flight last weekend.
However, every match in the Premier League gets coverage in the media in Japan; whenever I told anyone that I was commentating on Wigan v Stoke this weekend, there would be a mention of several key players, one or both of the managers, or how Wigan had conceded two early goals in their opening match of the season.
The point of this rather rambling tale is that the trip gave me positive proof that the entire Premier League is followed most closely by fans abroad. I, to be perfectly honest, had not heard of the Japanese side Sagan Tosu, but everyone I met knew exactly who Wigan and Stoke were.
Wigan have a rather good Premier League record against the Potters. Stoke have won only one of the eight matches played, and Wigan are unbeaten in their last six against the side from Staffordshire, with two wins and four draws. One of those draws in December 2009 featured a strike you may remember well, as it was Goal of the Season – Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa scored with a free-kick from inside his own half.
This may not be the most high-profile of fixtures in the Premier League this weekend, but in Japan there will be some people I met who will be looking out for the score from the DW. By the way, the result from Vissel Kobe against Sagan Tosu was 0-0. I hope that’s not an omen for this weekend’s game!
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Wigan are unbeaten in their last six league matches against Stoke.
Stoke’s only victory in eight Premier League meetings with Wigan came in May 2009, when they won 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium.
Wigan
Wigan have won eight of their last 11 league matches.
Franco di Santo has scored four goals in his last seven Premier League matches.
Wigan’s starting line-ups in their two matches so far this season have not contained a single Englishman.
Stoke
The Potters have drawn six of their last eight league matches.
Stoke’s 0-0 draw at Arsenal was their first league clean sheet since a 1-0 win over Norwich in March. Stoke had conceded in their previous 12 league matches, their longest ever run in the Premier League.
Stoke haven’t won away from home in the league since 2 January when they beat Blackburn 2-1 at Ewood Park.
