Preview:Wigan Athletic vs Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s - prediction, team news, lineups

With both teams looking to respond to defeats in their opening EFL Trophy games, Wigan Athletic will welcome Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s to the Brick Community Stadium on Tuesday.

Wigan drew 1-1 with Plymouth Argyle in League One on Saturday, while the visiting side beat Leicester City Under-21s 4-3 on Friday in the Premier League 2.

Match preview

Four of the hosts' six shots against Plymouth in the second half came in the 80th minute or later, but despite their subpar attacking display, only two sides have generated more xG in the third tier this campaign (17.3).

The Latics are 14th in League One with 13 points, but just six points separate them from sixth-placed Huddersfield Town, who they will hope to beat to the final promotion playoff place.

Wigan lost 2-0 against Salford City on September 2 in their opening group game of the EFL Trophy, and a defeat on Tuesday would eliminate them if Stockport County and Salford draw on the same day.

Head coach Ryan Lowe has overseen no wins in four games, with his side succumbing to losses three times while scoring twice and conceding nine.

A defeat against the visitors would be the team's fourth loss in six matches at home and the fifth time they failed to come out on top in that period.

Wolves Under-21s were trailing 3-1 with just 20 minutes left to play against Leicester, but three strikes in the closing 17 minutes ensured they won their third Premier League 2 game of the season.

The Old Gold are 10th after five matchweeks with 10 points, and though they are six points from second-placed Ipswich Town Under-21s, they boast the advantage of a game in hand.

Boss James Collins oversaw a 5-3 loss against Stockport County on September 2 in their first group match of the EFL Trophy, and they failed to advance out of their group in 2024-25.

Though Wolves are unbeaten in three, they were held to two stalemates in that time, and they were defeated in each of their prior four outings.

The visitors have scored at least two goals in four of their past five away fixtures, but they are winless in their last four games on the road, suffering three defeats.

Wigan Athletic EFL Trophy form:

Wigan Athletic form (all competitions):

Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s EFL Trophy form:

Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s form (all competitions):

Team News

With Wigan prioritising league matches, expect a significantly rotated XI from the team that drew with Plymouth, with the likes of Christy Edwards, Jensen Weir and Jack Rogers set to complete the team's back three.

In the middle of the pitch, it would not be surprising if Babajide Adeeko replaced number six Matthew Smith.

Harrison Rimmer and Maleace Asamoah started together against Salford City, and they are likely to appear as a duo once more.

As for Wolves Under-21s, Ojinnaka Temple, Alfie Pond and Saheed Olagunju could form the team's three-man defence.

Midfielders Mackenzie Bradbury and Luke Rawlings may be tasked with supporting centre-forward Fletcher Holman.

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:

Watson; Edwards, Weir, Rogers; Brenan, Graham, Adeeko, McManaman, Sessegnon; Rimmer, Asamoah

Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s possible starting lineup:

Gracey; Ojinnaka, Pond, Olagunju; Okoduwa, Bradbury, Rawlings, Sutherland; Mane, Edozie; Holman

We say: Wigan Athletic 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s

With both sides struggling for form, neither team are likely to dominate on Tuesday, and the game could be low scoring.

Though Wolverhampton Wanderers Under-21s will want to take advantage of Wigan's poor away record, their displays in the EFL Trophy have been poor, and they could suffer a defeat.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.