Roberto Martinez will give striker Hugo Rodallega as much time as possible before naming his side to face Liverpool on Wednesday.
Rodallega is Wigan's only injury concern ahead of the visit of the Reds after he suffered a knock during the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on Saturday.
Martinez will assess the Colombian's fitness over the next 24 hours before making a decision on whether or not to risk him in the tie.
Emmerson Boyce, meanwhile, has recovered from a hamstring injury but the game has come too soon for him and he will have to wait until after Christmas before making his return.
Liverpool have no new injury concerns ahead of the trip to the DW Stadium, although Kenny Dalglish must do without Jay Spearing, who is serving his three-match suspension. Other absentees are full-backs Fabio Aurelio and Jack Robinson, although neither would have expected to be in the starting line-up if fit. Dalglish will have a similar match day squad as Sunday at his disposal but may rotate a few personnel to freshen things up during the busy festive period.
Skipper Steven Gerrard is nearing a return to fitness but he is still not ready to take his place following the ankle infection that has kept him on the sidelines for two months.
Referee watch:
Northumberland official Michael Oliver will take charge of his 14th game of the season when the two sides meet. So far Oliver has shown 36 yellow and 2 red cards during games under his control. The 26-year-old has refereed both sides on one previous occasion this season with Wigan enjoying a 2-0 win over QPR in August and Liverpool knocking Brighton out of the Carling Cup 2-1 in September. Oliver was the youngest-ever referee to take charge of a Premier League game, aged just 25 years and 182 days when officiating Birmingham City v Blackburn Rovers on 21st August 2010.
Wigan (from): Al Habsi, Caldwell, Alcaraz, Figueroa, Watson, Diame, Moses, Gomez, McCarthy, Di Santo, Jones, Stam, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Lopez, Thomas, Sammon, Maloney, Crusat, Gohouri, Rodallega, McCarthy, Pollitt, Kirkland.
Liverpool (from): Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique, Kuyt, Adam, Henderson, Downing, Suarez, Rodriguez, Doni, Kelly, Carragher, Coates, Shelvey, Bellamy, Carroll.
* By pressing play on the video, you’ve agreed with the English FA rules and regulations on its broadcasting. This video is googled and for personal viewing only.
Match Prediction:
Liverpool played really well against Villa on Sunday and earned a well-deserved 2-0 victory, and against an inferior Wigan side there is no excuse for them to lose.
Wigan has allowed 30 goals this season, tied for third worst in the Premier League and have had difficulty keeping opponents from piling up the goals.
Dalglish's Liverpool team have a lot of quality, especially in the midfield, and will cruise to a comfortable win over Wigan in midweek.
Red's Fury™ Prediction: Wigan 0-4 Liverpool
This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club or Red's Fury™ blog.
Source: Setanta Sports
Stay tune for more news and follow me on Twitter.
0 comments:
Post a Comment