Wigan vs Manchester Utd prediction: ENGLAND: FA Cup betting tips on match 2024-01-07 20:15.
Now languishing down in League One, Wigan Athletic enter the third round of the FA Cup having already won twice in this competition this term. Shaun Maloneyâs men won âto nilâ against Exeter and York to earn their place here, and their reward is a glamour tie against 12-time champions Manchester United, although past meetings with the Red Devils have been miserable.
Wigan have won just once in 19 previous H2Hs (L18), while theyâve only scored once across the previous ten meetings (W1, L9) – a goal interestingly netted by Maloney back in April 2012 in that sole win! Worryingly though, three of the last four H2Hs have seen Wigan go down 4-0, including their most recent clash in the FA Cup in 2018, so the Latics will be desperate for their defence to hold up, and as theyâve conceded just once across their last five home matches (W3, D1, L1), perhaps theyâve got a good chance.
Manchester Unitedâs misfiring forward line feeds straight into that, as Erik ten Hagâs men have scored just 22 times in the Premier League this term – only the bottom-two have managed fewer. The Dutchman can ill-afford another setback here after overseeing just one win from their last six matches (D1, L4), leading to Ten Hag acknowledging that his side are âunderperformingâ.
The Red Devils were beaten in the final of this competition by arch-rivals Manchester City last season, continuing a barren run of just one successful FA Cup campaign since 2003/04! A first away cup draw since March 2021 presents a potential banana skin then, but as United havenât been eliminated from the FA Cup in the third round by lower-league opposition since 2009/10, confidence should still be high.
Players to watch: Wigan's Thelo Aasgaard becomes more dangerous as the game goes on, scoring all three of his goals this season beyond half-time, including the opener against Exeter in the first round. Man Utd winger Amad Diallo could be in line for a first start of the season – he scored in spectacular fashion at this ground last season in a 4-1 win while on loan at Sunderland.
Hot streak: Man Utd have failed to score before half-time in their last six matches in all competitions.