Wigan boss Gary Caldwell expects a tough encounter when his side travels to The Den on Tuesday to face fellow League One promotion contenders Millwall.
The Latics are currently on a sensational run of form, having not lost since a December 12 defeat to Blackpool. Millwall meanwhile have also surged in recent weeks, climbing into the playoff spots, and are still hoping to chase down an automatic promotion spot.
Wigan’s last fixture saw them dominate Bury at the weekend in a comfortable 3-0 win at the DW Stadium. However, Millwall were held to a point in a tight 1-1 draw with Doncaster at Keepmoat Stadium.
A win could see Wigan vault to top spot in League One for the first time this season, but Latics boss Gary Caldwell knows it won’t be an easy three points for his side in their midweek clash with The Lions.
Speaking to Wigan’s club website, Caldwell recognised how difficult a challenge the match will be for his squad:
“It’s one of the toughest matches in our recent run of games, and to be fair it’s one of the toughest matches we’ll face all season.
“Going away to Millwall is never easy. They’re playing well and their results are good at the moment.
“We’re two of the form teams in the league, so it sets us up for a very exciting and entertaining game.”
Since Wigan defeated Millwall 2-0 in the sides’ FA Cup semi-final encounter in 2013, the London-based club have had greater success in the head-to-head matchups. Five face-offs since the beginning of the 2013/14 season between the two clubs has seen Wigan go winless, drawing two and losing three to Millwall in total.
The last time these two teams met, both clubs were desperately fighting for Championship survival, with an ugly affair which saw three red cards ending in a 2-0 victory for Millwall.
On both sides’ improvements since relegation from the Championship last season, Caldwell commented:
“There’s an incredible contrast from where the club was at when we last visited Millwall to now,
“Only two players that got on the pitch in that 2-0 defeat in April will be involved this time around, but what I learned from that experience will be brought across to the players in preparation for the game.”
With 13 games left in the season, Wigan will be hoping to continue their good form long enough to create a gap between themselves and the snarling pack of teams below hoping to snatch a promotion place from The Latics.
Despite the pressures of other teams closing in around Wigan, Caldwell is taking no notice of the league table, focusing only on the ultimate goal of promotion:
“We’re still focusing on ourselves and I’ve said all along that the league table only matters on May 8.
“We concentrate on progressing as a team and I think we’ve done that all season.”
