Wigan V Sunderland - The Claw War

Wigan visit the Stadium of Light in the hope that they can arrest a winless streak and pick up 3 valuable points and if you look at the history between the sides, you get the feeling that Latics might do favourably today, but they are up against an impressive Sunderland side who have lost some of their bite ahead of today's vital clash.

One player who mightily impresses me is Djibril Cisse and he will be a dangerous predatory player so Titus Bramble will need to make sure his pockets are empty and put Cisse in it. Kenwynne Jones is also a very lively player, very comparable to Cisse so Titus will need to keep his other pocket empty, too, so he can take two trophies home with him.

This is a big day for Wigan's new signing Cho and he has impressed Steve Bruce very much - whether he'll make it into the starting eleven is anyone's guess but I predict a bench start for Cho today but he has admirable qualities says Stevie Bruce. I look forward to seeing Cho in action. Lets hope he can emulate Man Utd's player, Ji Sung Park and we can honestly say then we have a player on our hands.

Hot head Lee Cattermole is out for a while so Cho might start but I fancy a back four of Melchiot, Bramble, Boyce and Figueroa. In midfield, I fancy Valencia, Scharner, Brown and N'Zogbia. Up front, I'd go with Mido and Rodallega. Zaki has dried up but I just have a sneaky feeling it will be Zaki and Mido and Zaki will end his drought. Just a thought.

This is a massive game for Sunderland so the real question is will pressure get to them? I don't think it will so Latics are in for a tough game today and other teams have found the Stadium Of Light a difficult place to go to.

ROB'S PREDICTION
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Sunderland 1 Wigan 1 - Just fancy Wigan to snatch something from this game as the Cats don't have a great record against Wigan and like us, are without some vital players. It will affect the way they play so this may fall into Latics hands.

WIGAN: PLAYER TO WATCH: AMR ZAKI
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If Zaki plays (he will I think), then I think he might just oust his drought with a pivotal goal for the Latics but the table is so tight anything can happen now to any team. The Latics have a double to do yet and I think we'll be absolutely fine (fingers crossed).

SUNDERLAND: PLAYER TO WATCH: DJIBRIL CISSE
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This guy is a real threat and a quality player - an excellent Sunderland acquisition. Ricky has done a good job with Sunderland and I fancy them to finish the season comfortably. Its other teams I worry about beating the drop.

ROB'S FINAL THOUGHT
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I can't see Wigan being drawn into the dog fight for relegation and I think one more win will see us through. Add to that some points elsewhere and we should be home dry soon.

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