Preview: Catalans Dragons vs Wigan Warriors - Prediction, team news and lineups

Newly crowned Challenge Cup winners Wigan Warriors return to league duties this Saturday as they travel to Paris for a historic collision with the Catalans Dragons.

The return of rugby league to the French capital is an initiative designed to mark the 30th anniversary of the Super League and also bring some new eyeballs to the sport in an area where its popularity is minimal.

Match preview

Catalans Dragons and Wigan Warriors are no strangers to history-making games, given that both sides were involved in the 2019 Super League clash at Barcelona’s Camp Nou - a game which shattered the competition’s attendance record.

More history will be made this weekend in Paris, as the sport returns to the French capital for the first time since Paris Saint-Germain’s involvement in the comp.

Catalans will enter the match on the back of a 36-22 victory over York Knights a fortnight ago - a result which snapped their three-match losing run.

The Dragons have won four of their six matches on French soil this season and sit just two points outside the top six. Victory over Wigan would not only close that gap but also come against the side currently occupying the final play-off position.

However, one area which John Cartwright and his men will be looking to immediately improve is their leaky defence, given that only two other teams have conceded more points than Les Dracs.

Wigan Warriors added another piece of silverware to their crowded trophy cabinet last weekend, cruising to a 40-10 victory over Hull KR in the 2026 Challenge Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

The triumph served as vindication for head coach Matt Peet, whose decision to field a youthful side against the Robins in Super League just days before the final was heavily scrutinised. While that gamble resulted in a 62-4 league defeat, the outcome now feels largely irrelevant with the Challenge Cup safely in Wigan's hands.

Having secured their first trophy of the season, attention now turns back to Super League, where returning to winning ways will be a priority.

Saturday night is not only an opportunity for Wigan to make rugby league history in Paris but also to pull away from their rivals in the race for playoff footy.

Putting aside their controversial league defeat to the Robins, Wigan have won their four other games since May, leaving Peet’s men with serious momentum ahead of the trip across the channel.

Catalans Dragons Super League form:

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Wigan Warriors Super League form:

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Team News

Catalans Dragons will be boosted by the returns of Tommy Makinson, Lewis Dodd and Julian Bousquet this weekend.

Saturday’s game could also see Kruise Leeming take on his parent club, with the 30-year-old currently enjoying his loan spell in the south of France.

Wigan, on the other hand, will be without Sam Walters and Harry Smith after both men received suspensions following the Challenge Cup final.

Bevan French will also be on the sidelines in Paris, with the Warriors star still needing a couple of weeks to return to full fitness.

With that in mind, Peet has decided to bring in the trio of George Marsden, Nathan Lowe and George O’Loughlin into the 21-man squad.

Catalans Dragons 21-man squad:

Staines, Makinson, Cotric, Faataape, Sexton, Dodd, Satae, Bousquet, Maria, Condon, Garcia, Allen, Navarrete, Wilson, Leeming, Lipowicz, Laguerre, Russell, Aispuro-Bichet, Marc, Tison

Wigan Warriors 21-man squad:

Field, Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Havard, O’Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Ellis, Mago, Partington, Farrimond, Eseh, Forber, McDermott, Kerr, Lowe, Hodkinson, O’Loughlin, Marsden

We say: Catalans Dragons 20-18 Wigan Warriors

Rugby league in Paris is a huge deal for the sport, but particularly for the Catalans Dragons, who are battling for relevance in France.

Victory for the hosts would provide some much-needed national press, and we are backing them to beat a Wigan side that is still on cloud nine from their Wembley heroics.