Hull Vs Latics Preview

Roberto Martinez takes his Latics side to face under pressure Hull City with the praise from last weekends defeat of Chelsea still ringing in the ears.

Martinez picked up the LMA `Performance of the Week` award yesterday not just for beating Chelsea but for the manor in which it was achieved.

The Latics boss says football is a beautiful game and you need to be patient to see that beauty blossom so the Latics play patient football and what a joy it is to behold.

There is no doubt that Phil Brown`s men wont give the Latics time on the ball today but so long as they follow Martinez` philosophy then they will be fine, keeping possession and probing for openings.

Paul Scharner`s inclusion in the team last week was pivotal to Latics success, he brought an energy and movement to attacking midfield that`s sadly been missing and it is important that the Austria international retains his place ahead of Jordi Gomez who has been looking decidedly off the pace.

Scharners movement created space for others and it is no coincidence that both Thomas and Diame had excellent games and saw a lot of the football, more of the same today and I can see the Latics winning quite comfortably

Also looking to retain his place is centre forward Jason Scotland, given his first league start last week he took the bull by the horns, literally, and had a very effective game until he tired dramatically just before the hour.

It seems likely that Martinez will keep faith with the same 11 that got the three points last week and he will be looking for the same level of performance today.

Latics boss Roberto Martinez:

'It will be a completely different game for us this week, but that is the nature of the Premier League'

'It's important we are ready, because it's probably the wrong time to be playing Hull.

'On the back of the disappointment they suffered at Liverpool, everyone will be expecting a reaction.

'We need to be aware of that and ensure the intensity in our play is good enough to cope with that.

'You need to be adaptable in the Premier League and we know it will be a completely different kind of game against Hull than against Chelsea.

'But the performance level has to be the same, and that's probably the biggest test we have at the moment.'

'I think many people would appreciate that the main reason Hull are in the Premier League is Phil Brown, so I don't know how he can be considered to be in a position of being under pressure,'

'I think Phil knows better than anyone how to get the best out of his team.

'Although every boss in the Premier League is under pressure when they don't get results, if any manager deserves time to turn it round, it's going to be Phil.'

Hull boss Phil Brown:

'I saw Wigan play Chelsea last week and they equipped themselves very well against a very good team. Wigan will be coming to the KC Stadium with a new-found confidence and a belief that they can get the points.

'There's been a lot of talk about our next six games and four of them are at home. But that means nothing if you don't win the first one, so we're not looking any further ahead than Wigan.

'We've made a slow start this season and confidence is not at a premium at the moment. The support that we're getting is not at a premium at the moment, but it's a two-way street and we understand that.

'Any success we've had in the last two-and-a-half years has been based on clean sheets and a clean sheet mentality. I think that has gone out of the window (recently).

'Wigan boast a decent front line that scored three goals against Chelsea last weekend. It's not just going to be about our back four and the goalkeeper (on Saturday), it's about the people in front of them as well.

'If we can get back to having ten or eleven defenders when we haven't got the ball, that is the kind of discipline I'm after.'

Mouyokolo is available following a hamstring problem but Gardner is doubtful an its a game too soon for Latics old boy Jimmy Bullard.

Hull from:

Boaz Myhill, Paul McShane, Ibrahima Sonko, Liam Cooper, Andy Dawson; Geovanni, George Boateng, Kevin Kilbane, Stephen Hunt; Kamel Ghilas; Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Tony Warner, Kamil Zayatte, Seyi Olofinjana, Dean Marney, Nick Barmby, Jozy Altidore, Daniel Cousin, Mouyokolo

Killer was a fantastic pro whilst at the Latics and he 'filled in' at left back superbly for almost a full season

Full squad for Roberto to chose from

Latics from:

Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Bramble, Figueroa, Rodallega, Thomas, Diame, N'Zogbia, Scharner, Scotland, King, Pollitt, Amaya, Cho, Koumas, Gomez, de Ridder, Kapo

An immense player for the Latics

Latics and Hull have met 14 times in the league with 5 wins to the Latics, 3 for Hull and 6 draws

Last season

Hull City 0-5 Latics

Mark Clattenburg (Consett)

Clattenburg interview here

Heart says 3-0 Latics win

Head says 2-1 Latics win

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