Rotherham United play host to Wigan Athletic in a basement battle for all three valuable points as both teams bid to move away from the relegation zone at the New York Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Rotherham come into this clash just one league position and one point above the bottom three, so the hosts will be keen to make home advantage count here especially as they’ve lost three of their last four matches in the Championship with defeats to Ipswich Town, Brentford and Leeds United.
The Millers did earn a point away at Millwall though in last weekend’s 0-0 draw at the New Den, and with a fairly reasonable home record which reads W5 D6 L4 scored 20 conceded 23 to date, they might get something from this encounter.
Although Rotherham have lost three of their last four at home, they’ll be aware of Wigan’s poor results away from home and the likes of midfielder Vaulks and forward Smith (5 goals apiece) should ensure the hosts walk away with something here.
Onto Wigan Athletic, and the visitors recorded a 2-1 home win over QPR last weekend at their DW Stadium which followed a previous home victory over Aston Villa 3-0 as The Latics continue to stave off the possibility of relegation.
It’s thanks to their form on home turf which has kept their heads above water and a seven point cushion ahead of third from bottom club Reading as they’ve registered 8 of their 9 wins so far this season at the DW Stadium.
It’s a very different story away from home though as The Latics have managed just one away win all season and have lost a staggering 11 of their last 13 away matches in the Championship.
Manager Paul Cook must be wondering how he can earn a win on their travels as his side possess a very poor record of W1 D2 L12 scored 12 conceded 29, with only Blackburn Rovers and Ipswich Town (31 goals conceded), possessing worse away records in the division than Wigan.
To make matters worse, Wigan have failed to score in 8 of their 15 away matches to date in the Championship, and although Rotherham United have also been struggling of late, the hosts won’t get a better chance to record all three points at home than here today.