Wigan Athletic

vs

Barnsley FC

Preview

Wigan Athletic

• Wigan Athletic have won just one of their last five League One matches (D2, L2).
• The Latics have lost two consecutive matches, a 0-2 home defeat to Blackpool and a 2-1 away reverse at Bradford City.

Barnsley FC

• Barnsley FC have won one and lost four of their last five League One games (D0).
• The Tykes have lost back-to-back games, 3-0 at Exeter City and 2-3 at home to Mansfield Town.
• The Barnsley FC boss wants his players to play an organised, front-foot style, one that adapts to the game in hand while sticking to coherent patterns in possession.

Head-to-Head

Key Players

• Davis Keillor-Dunn has been Barnsley’s talisman with 11 goals in 19 League One appearances and three goals in his last five, but he will be particularly important to them this week after they failed to score in their most recent away game.
• Fraser Murray’s four goals in 20 League One outings doesn’t compare to the Tykes’ star but the Scottish striker does provide an important outlet for the Latics’ wing-backs to feed off.

Betting Insights

• The two clubs are in vastly different positions in the standings with Wigan in 18th with 26 points from 21 games and Barnsley in ninth with 28 points from 19.
• The Latics are priced at 2.28 while Barnsley are around 3.05.
• Wigan’s home form in League One this season reads W5, D2, L3 and they have conceded just 7 goals in ten home games - 0.70 per game on average.
• Barnsley have been pretty leaky on the road, conceding 16 in 10 away games at a rate of 1.60 per game, and they enter this game on the back of a three-game losing streak on the road.

Prediction

• Draw, 3.3, seems a fair price for this fixture, which could be a tight tactical battle given the contrasting nature of the two sides, particularly out wide.
• Under 2.5 goals looks like the best value alongside the draw.