Match Preview: Sheffield United vs Wigan Athletic

Sheffield United and Wigan Athletic square off at Bramall Lane for the first time since their titanic battle for Premier League survival in May 2007, which saw The Latics come away with their Premier League status intact.

Wigan head into the match on a run of eight matches unbeaten, whilst The Blades are desperately hoping a win can push them back into a playoff spot.

A rain-soaked DW Stadium set the scene as the two sides clashed less than a month ago in a tremendous 3-3 draw, as The Blades scored three goals in 21 dramatic second-half minutes to snatch a point.

Since then, Nigel Adkins’ men have dropped to 9th in the League One table, and will be hoping a victory at home on Saturday can propel them back into promotion contention as the season heads to its climax.

Wigan meanwhile are riding into the fixture off the back of eight games unbeaten, not having lost since a 1-0 defeat at home to Blackpool almost two months ago. The Latics currently lie four points outside the automatic promotion places, and will be hoping to bridge the gap with a victory on the road.

One player Wigan will certainly be without is midfield maestro Michael Jacobs, the former Wolves man missing time due to a calf strain suffered in Latics’ 1-1 draw with Crewe on 23 January.

Speaking to Wigan’s club website, boss Gary Caldwell spoke about Jacobs’ injury.

“Michael Jacobs is progressing, but it was a bad injury to his calf.” Caldwell commented.

“He’s played a lot of football this season compared to the 12 games he played last season.  Hopefully the rest during this period will reinvigorate him and he’ll come back stronger towards the end of the season.”

Having thrown away three points against The Blades only three weeks ago, Caldwell understands that doubts can begin to creep into players minds, but is assured his men have put that memory to the back of their minds.

“I’m sure we’ve learned from the last time we played Sheffield United.

“We got together the next day, assessed it and spoke about it honestly as a group and I think we’ve shown this year that we bounce back from low moments like that one.  It was only a draw, but it felt like a defeat.

“The team responded fantastically from the disappointment and started winning games straight away, showing that it hurt them as much as anyone.”

An almost two month unbeaten means The Latics travel to Bramall Lane with their confidence sky-high.

“We’re on a good run so we’re looking forward to every game, but it’s getting to that point in the season where you feel every set of three points is crucial to where we want to be at come the end of the season.

“The players are confident, they’re excited to play games and they look fit and hungry which is great ahead of some tough matches.”

With over 1,500 Wigan fans set to make the trip across the Pennines to see their side against Sheffield United, and manager Gary Caldwell spoke glowingly of the fans’ continuous support throughout the season.

“We say it every week that the support has been incredible, but it really has been and I can’t stress that enough.

“The squad is on a new journey and it’s been a long road to get to where we are at the moment, but there’s still a long way to go to where we ultimately want to be.  The fans are on that journey with us, they’ve embraced it and back it and it keeps on gathering momentum.

“We’ll look to keep that momentum going with a result that’ll put a smile on their faces come Saturday night.”

As Wigan head into the latter stages of the season, their fans, players and Gary Caldwell will be hoping they can continue their unbeaten run long enough to vault their side into the top two of League One.

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