Wigan Athletic vs Bolton Wanderers – Match Preview

Date: Monday, April 1, 2024
Kick-off: 7:45 PM
Venue: The Brick Community Stadium

Wigan Athletic prepare for a fierce Greater Manchester (formerly Lancashire) derby as they host Bolton Wanderers at The Brick Community Stadium. Ryan Lowe’s side will be aiming to bounce back from a recent dip in form and deliver a statement result against their promotion-chasing rivals.

Recent Form

The Latics come into this fixture on the back of a 1-1 draw with Barnsley, which some would argue we should have won and some would say that there should have been a red card for Kerr. Regardless, it was also the opening home game of the new Ryan Lowe era. Sitting 18th in League One, Wigan are still a small distance from the relegation zone but will want to put on a strong display in front of their home fans as usual.

Bolton, managed by Steven Schumacher, currently sit eighth in League One and remain in chance for the playoff push race. The Trotters have lost three of their last five matches, they come off a narrow 2-1 loss to rivals Blackpool and they also saw the dismissal of Aaron Morley due to a red card.

Head-to-Head Record

Wigan Wins: 22

Draws: 14

Bolton Wins: 17

This historic rivalry has produced some memorable encounters over the years. In recent meetings:

• Wigan won the reverse fixture 2-0 in December at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, with goals from Dale Taylor & Thelo Aasgaard
• Last meeting at The Brick Community Stadium: Wigan claimed a narrow 1-0 win in the 23/24 season with a 69th minute winner from Stephen Humphrys who has since departed the club for Barnsley following the end of his contract.
• Overall, Wigan have the upper hand in recent years, winning four of the last five encounters and drawing one.

Predicted Lineup

Key Players to Watch

Wigan Athletic

Sam Tickle: In what has been a very disappointing season for Wigan, Sam Tickle’s performances have not gone unnoticed as he has attracted plenty of interest from a number of Championship & Premier League sides. His stats so far this season lie at, 14 clean sheets in 37 games and he has an average match rating of 7.10. I have utmost faith in Sam and am confident he will make it more than difficult for Bolton to score and will register his 15th clean sheet.

James Carragher: In what has been Carra’s first season of regular first team football, the 22 year old has impressed up until now, but with Ryan Lowe now at the helm there will be pressure on James to adapt to the new gaffers tactical system, moving from playing in a back four to playing in a more compact back 3 as right centre back, a position he hasn’t featured in for a while. James’ brute strength & aggression will make him a good match for Bolton’s attacking players and it will be interesting to see how he handles himself.

Jonny Smith: A man who’s left foot is to good for defenses too handle Jonny Smith has been arguably one of Wigan’s biggest threats this season, despite only finding 3 goals and 4 assists in League 1, this man’s energy and versatile movement going forward is truly world class. Many Wigan supporters on social media have described Jonny as “a man who only scores bangers” referring to his vast amount of goals scored from long range. With this in mind, Bolton will have to be on their toes when it comes to marking him on Tuesday night.

Dale Taylor: The Nottingham Forest loanee, took some time to get going at Wigan, but it was certainly worth the wait, as Dale Taylor has now become Wigan’s top scorer and also top playmaker, bagging 8 goals and 7 assists. It’s fair to say he will no doubt cause Bolton many problems, and he will hopefully register a similar performance to the one he delivered at the ToughSheet back in December.

Bolton Wanderers

Ricardo Santos: One of the toughest and most reckless defenders in the league, Santos has not only been a brilliant defender but also a fierce captain leading Bolton to multiple playoff spot finishes. Going into Tuesday, the Portuges International will no doubt make Tuesday difficult for players like Ronan Darcy & Dale Taylor.

Josh Sheehan: An overall complete midfielder, Sheehan has been nothing short of a fan favourite since he signed in 2021 from Welsh side Newport. And now under the management of Steven Schumacher he looks like he could take his game to even further depths, he will no doubt be looking to cause problems on Tuesday evening.

Aaron Collins: Registering 10 goals and 4 assists, Collins has been no short of clinical for Bolton and he will certainly keep Jason Kerr, James Carragher & Toby Sibbick on edge, with his heavy reputation going forward.

John McAtee: Signed in the summer, McAtee’s form at Bolton hasn’t gone unnoticed, with him bagging a staggering 11 goals and 3 assists, and as said for Josh Sheehan, Schumacher has the ability to take McAtee’s game to huge depths.

Match Predictions

Curtis’ Prediction: Wigan Athletic 1-0 Bolton Wanderers

💭 Over the past few years, Wigan have shown that no matter how they are doing in the league they always seem to be up for Derby Day as the players can obviously see how much it means to the club and the fans. In the reverse fixture in December, I didn’t have the most confidence considering we lost all of our goalscorers who scored against them in the 23/24 season but we did win thanks to Taylor and Aasgaard. Therefore, I am going to say 1-0 Wigan it’ll either be a Dale Taylor goal or one of our players who doesn’t typically end up on the scoresheet as it has been like that lately.

Charlie’s Prediction: Wigan Athletic 1-0 Bolton Wanderers

💭 As Curtis says, for the past 10 years Wigan, regardless of form, have always turned up and worked their socks off each and every time this mighty fixture comes along. It was a pleasant surprise to see Maleace Asamoah bag his first Wigan goal on Saturday, and I personally think that he will be one of our best players from now, until the final game of the season, and having said that I also think he will score on Tuesday evening.

Final Thoughts

With local bragging rights and crucial points at stake, expect an intense battle between two passionate sides. Wigan will need to tighten up defensively and take their chances when they come, while Bolton will aim to use their attacking firepower to take control of the game.

Can the Latics continue their Derby Day passion, or will the Trotters continue their push for promotion? Let us know your predictions in the comments!