Wigan Vs Fulham Pre-Match

The FA Cup resumes this weekend and the excitement that lingers is incomparable!

Wigan welcome Fulham to the Brick this Saturday and it’s fair to say that this is a huge game! From a fan perspective of a League 1 side, these kinds of fixtures mean the most, bringing both excitement and opportunity.

Wigan’s season so far:

The Latic’s haven’t had the flashiest season by any means, currently sat 16th in League One with 34 points accumulated in 28 games. Wigan’s summer transfer window consisted of many arrivals and departure, the main arrivals being, Dale Taylor, Toby Sibbick, & Will Aimson who were all brought in to replace key players such as Stephen Humphrys, Sean Clare & Charlie Hughes. Tactically Wigan’s setup hasn’t changed a great deal, with Maloney’s tactical vision of possession & build-up play. still being opted. When it comes to formations, Maloney’s has opted between 4-2-3-1 & 4-1-4-1, opting between defensive midfielders, centre midfielders and attacking midfielders. In terms of results, Wigan’s most memorable results to date, have been, a 4-0 away win to Bristol Rovers , as well as a 2-0 away win over bitter rivals Bolton Wanderers. In the recent January transfer window, Wigan lost their top goalscorer, Thelo Aasgaard to Championship side Luton Town. Their replacement was Crawley Towns Ronan Darcy who joined on a 2 and 1/2 year deal.

Fulham’s season so far:

Fulham have had a very respectable first half of the 24/25 campaign, currently sat 9th in the Premier League with 36 points accumulated in 24 games, some would say they have exceeded expectations. Fulham’s summer transfer window was very productive with the club being able to make some great acquisitions. The main departures from Fulham over the summer being Joao Palhinha & Willian, in which they replaced with Burnley man, Sander Berge & the exciting Emile Smith Rowe. Tactically Marco Silva’s setup is to press high and defend aggressively. His primary formation, like Wigan, is 4-2-3-1 however, he has been known to switch to 4-4-2. In Terms of results, Fulham’s most memorable moments have been, their 3-1 home win over Newcastle in September as well as a 2-1 away win over bitter rivals Chelsea on Boxing day. In the January transfer window Fulham made no signings.

Predicted Lineups:

Wigan Athetic:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Sam Tickle

Defence: Toby Sibbick – James Carragher – Jason Kerr – Jon Mellish

Midfield: Oliver Norburn – Jensen Weir

Attack: Jonny Smith – Ronan Darcy – Joseph Hungbo – Dale Taylor

Fulham:

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno

Defence: Timothy Castagne – Joachim Andersen – Issa Diop – Antonee Robinson

Midfield: Harrison Reed – Tom Cairney

Attack: Martial Godo – Andreas Pereira – Emile Smith Rowe – Rodrigo Muniz