Two teams with contrasting ambitions for the remainder of the season, Wigan Athletic will look to continue their push for promotion when relegation candidates Gillingham visit Lancashire on Saturday afternoon.
The hosts could find themselves top of the table by the end of play, should other results go their way, while the visitors remain in a relegation scrap.
Match preview
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After their schedule was rocked by Covid cancellations, Wigan boast an astonishing four games in hand over their promotion rivals, while sitting just one point behind current leaders Wycombe Wanderers.
Should they win their games in hand, Wigan could open up an 11-point gap at the top of League One, with a return to Championship on the cards for the Latics.
After suffering relegation on the final day of the 2019-20 season, Wigan went on to finish one point above the drop zone last term, before finding their stride this time out.
Last losing a match in mid-October, Wigan currently boast a 16-game unbeaten streak as they target the division's top position.
Winners in each of their last five matches, the Latics have blown away sides of late, scoring 16 times during their latest winning streak.
No doubt wary of the firepower Wigan possess, Gillingham will visit the DW Stadium hoping to avoid a third consecutive defeat.
With only bottom-placed Doncaster Rovers below the Gills in the table, time is running out for them to extend their nine-season stay in League One.
Such poor form saw former boss Steve Evans get sacked at the beginning of January, with Gillingham targeting current Bromley boss Andy Woodman as his potential successor.
Whoever it is to come in at the Priestfield Stadium, their job will be to cut the gap between themselves and safety, which currently sits at a concerning nine points.
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Team News
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Goals have been a problem for Gillingham this season, with Vadaine Oliver their current top scorer – the 30-year-old has five strikes to his name so far.
Oliver will partner Charlie Kelman at the top of the Gillingham attack, with midfielder Ben Reeves hoping to provide creativity from behind.
Looking to keep just their second clean sheet in 11 matches will be goalkeeper Pontus Dahlberg, who should retain his position between the sticks.
Slightly more prolific in front of goal this season, Wigan's biggest attacking threat has been striker Will Keane, whose 12 strikes for the campaign have helped the Latics climb the table.
A trio of James McClean, Callum Lang and Gavin Massey will operate behind the striker, while Tom Naylor and Max Power will anchor the midfield.
Centre-back duo Kelland Watts and Jack Whatmough will be the pair tasked with keeping out a stuttering Gillingham attack.
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Amos; Darikwa, Whatmough, Watts, Pearce; Power, Naylor; Massey, Lang, McClean; Keane
Gillingham possible starting lineup:
Dahlberg; Jackson, Ehmer, Tucker, McKenzie; Lee, O'Keefe, Dempsey; Reeves, Oliver, Kelman
We say: Wigan Athletic 3-0 Gillingham
Wigan may have the luxury of games in hand, but it is points on the board that will see the Latics return to the Championship.
A triumph over struggling Gillingham will represent another key step on their journey back to the second tier, and the home side are well placed to take all three points on Saturday.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Wigan Athletic win with a probability of 65.77%. A draw had a probability of 20.6% and a win for Gillingham had a probability of 13.63%.
The most likely scoreline for a Wigan Athletic win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.76%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (12.59%) and 2-1 (9.63%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (9.77%), while for a Gillingham win it was 0-1 (4.95%). The actual scoreline of 3-2 was predicted with a 2.4% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Wigan Athletic would win this match.
