A few weeks ago, this final day of the season fixture in the Championship looked like being a straight shoot-out to avoid the drop in what was being billed as a real relegation ‘six-pointer’.
Both Wigan Athletic and Millwall have picked up useful points in their respective season run-ins, while the bottom three clubs continued to lose.
Wigan head into the final day of the season having lost just 1 of their last 8 matches overall in the second tier which was a 2-1 defeat away at Hull City. Wigan's recent wins are against Bolton Wanderers, Leeds United and Preston North End along with points picked up in draws with Brentford, Bristol City, Norwich City and Birmingham City have contributed towards Wigan’s escape from the trap-door.
Indeed, Paul Cook’s side have recorded some decent results in these past few weeks and have shown their resilience when seemingly staring relegation in the face earlier in the season.
Wigan have been particularly hard to beat at their DW Stadium as The Latics are unbeaten in their last nine matches on home turf, mixing Cook’s attacking style with a solid defensive unit which has also kept 5 clean sheets during this impressive nine-match sequence.
Millwall’s Championship survival wasn’t so convincing as The Lions needed a favour from Rotherham United’s poor losing streak to secure their Championship status for another season.
The visitors have failed to win any of their last six matches, a run that includes defeats to Aston Villa and Bristol City, but four draws with QPR, Sheffield United, Brentford and Stoke City proved to be just enough for Neil Harris’s side to avoid the trap-door down to League One.
Nevertheless, just 3 away wins all season on their travels is an indication of where Millwall have gone wrong this term as they’ve lost 14 matches, with only Wigan Athletic and Ipswich Town (16) losing more than the London club in the Championship so far.
However, there has been some improvement at the back for Millwall as Neil Harris’s side have tightened up their defence, and 13 of their 22 away matches to date have resulted in under 2.5 goals.
Half of Wigan’s 22 home matches have also resulted in under 2.5 goals as The Latics have also tightened up in recent weeks, as the hosts have kept 5 clean sheets in their last 9 at home.
Wigan might just edge this one, but it looks like being a low-scoring encounter.