Wigan Athletic vs Sheffield United

EFL Championship heavyweights Sheffield United take a trip to the DW Stadium to meet hot relegation candidates Wigan Athletic.

Wigan Athletic’s hopes of getting out of the Championship relegation zone took another hit last time out as they drew 1-1 with Millwall on Kolo Toure’s touchline debut. It’s no wonder the ‘Latics’ find themselves two points adrift of safety at the start of this round, as they’ve suffered a monstrous six defeats across their last nine league outings (W1, D2), explaining the club’s decision to change their manager. Toure’s managerial bow at the DW Stadium comes amid Wigan’s longest undefeated league streak since September (W1, D1), offering fans a glimmer of hope they can avoid a swift return to League One. But with just one win in their last six home league H2Hs against Sheffield United (D2, L3), things are not looking good from Toure’s perspective.

On the other hand, visiting Sheffield United have bounced back from a sluggish 1-0 home defeat to Rotherham United, racking up two identical 1-0 victories in the aftermath to seize the Championship runner-up spot. Only two points clear of third-placed Blackburn Rovers, the ‘Blades’ seek another triumph to cement their position over the playoff line and avoid another heartbreaking season finale. Scoring first could do the trick for Sheffield’s lofty ambitions to whittle down the gap on table-topping Burnley, with Paul Heckingbottom’s team winning their last three away league games ‘to nil.’ However, slow to react after falling behind, the visitors have returned just one point from four Championship travels in which they conceded the opening goal this season (D1, L3).