Wigan v Portsmouth

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Wigan v Portsmouth

JJB Stadium
Saturday, 20 October
Kick-off: 1500 BST
Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live & highlights on Match of the Day. Featured game on Score and Final Score.



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Team news to follow later.









BIG-MATCH FACTS
Wigan go into this match anxious to avoid four successive Premier League defeats, for the first time in 23 outings, since suffering eight straight losses on 30 January. It was a sequence that was ended incidentally by a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth in last season's corresponding fixture.

Portsmouth are bidding to make it four league wins on the bounce for the first time in 160 matches, since 16 August 2003, and the first occasion in a single season since 30 November 2002.

Both these sides have conceded 12 goals, but Pompey have scored more than twice as many as the Latics (17 to eight).

Victory would give Wigan 100 Premier League points all-time; while a win for Pompey would give them 100 league points since Harry Redknapp's return to Fratton Park.


CLUB FORM
WIGAN ATHLETIC


Club stats
Fixtures
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 11th
Lowest could fall: 17th

1. Not won in seven league and cup games (two draws, five defeats).

2. Pressing for a first win in seven league outings.

3. Gained two points from a last possible 18, since beating Sunderland 3-0 at home on 18 August. It leaves them bottom of the Premier League's "Form" table.

4. Failed to score in three of the last five league outings, and netted one goal in each of the other two games.

5. The current tally of eight points after nine games represents their worst start to a Premier League season; they had more than double as many points at this same stage in their first season at this level (19 after nine in 2005-06).

6. Scored eight goals. Only Derby have an inferior attack to that in the top division; five goals.

7. Scored just once in the first half of a Premier League game this season; fewer than any other club.

8. Boasting a 100% return from penalties awarded in Premier League matches this season; three out of three. Only Arsenal have also scored that many.

9. Away to Birmingham after this, before Chelsea visit the JJB in the first of three league games against London opposition. Back to back trips to Tottenham and Arsenal follow that.

PORTSMOUTH


Club stats
Fixtures
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 4th
Lowest could fall: 9th

1. Won the last four in all competitions.

2. Won the last three Premier League matches with an aggregate of 10-4.

3. Kept clean sheets in three of their last four league outings.

4. Own the weakest defence in the top half of the table; 12 goals shipped in nine outings.

5. One of six clubs with a 100% record from Premier League matches in which they opened the scoring (won three of three).

6. One point behind last season's pace. They had 16 after nine matches and finished in a Premier League best ninth.

7. Scored four goals in the last 10 minutes of Premier League games.

8. Won the last three league and cup games on the road.


KEY PLAYER NOTES
WIGAN ATHLETIC


Antoine SIBIERSKI is Wigan's leading scorer with three Premier League goals.

Only Titus BRAMBLE and Chris KIRKLAND have been on the field for every minute of every one of Wigan's Premier League matches this season.

Michael BROWN made four appearances when he spent a month on loan to Portsmouth from Manchester City in 1999.

If on the field from the outset:-

Paul SCHARNER will be making his 50th start in a Wigan shirt.

PORTSMOUTH


Benjani MWARUWARI is Portsmouth's top scorer with six Premier League goals. He is leading the race for the Barclays Golden Boot, jointly with Emmanuel ADEBAYOR of Arsenal.

Sylvain DISTIN is the only outfield player to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Portsmouth's Premier League games this season.

David JAMES has kept goal for every minute of every one of Pompey's league matches this term.

If he plays:-

JAMES will be making his 141st consecutive Premier League appearance (Manchester City and Portsmouth).


HEAD TO HEAD
These clubs are facing each other for the fifth time in the Premier League. Two seasons ago both fixtures were won by the club playing away; last season the reverse was the case.

Home and away
League (inc PL): Wigan 3 wins, Portsmouth 5, Draws 2
Prem: Wigan 2 wins, Portsmouth 2, Draws 0

at Wigan only
League (inc PL): 2 wins, Portsmouth 3, Draws 0
Prem: Wigan 1 win, Portsmouth 1, Draws 0


LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Wigan Athletic 1-0 Portsmouth
3 February 2007 - Ref: Graham Poll
Wigan scorer: McCulloch 68


REFEREE
Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)

Premier League referees' table
Peter Walton's 2007-08 Premier League card count

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Wigan 0-2 Portsmouth
By Peter Scrivener



Benjani scored his seventh Premier League goal of the season
Portsmouth won their fourth consecutive Premier League game courtesy of two late goals at the JJB Stadium.
Benjani Mwaruwari nipped in at the near post to volley home Sulley Muntari's low cross to put the visitors ahead.

And five minutes later Glen Johnson cut in unchallenged from the right and drove a low shot home from 18 yards.

Paul Scharner glanced the post with a diving header for Wigan in the first half while Muntari thundered a 30-yard free-kick on to the post for Pompey.


Interview: Portsmouth assistant coach Tony Adams
Interview: Wigan boss Chris Hutchings

Sol Campbell recovered from his midweek exertions with England in Russia to start in a Portsmouth defence bolstered by Hermann Hreidarsson who passed a late fitness test.

But the Pompey back four were pulled out of shape inside the opening five minutes when Andreas Granqvist nodded Michael Brown's free-kick into the path of Scharner, however the Austrian could not mark his 50th start for the Latics with a goal.

The bright opening gave little indication of the dirge to follow.

Neither side had a meaningful effort until Kranjcar tried his luck from distance midway through the half but Kirkland dealt with the low drive comfortably despite the ball bouncing just in front of him.

The home side then wasted a couple of opportunities to test Pompey stopper David James.

Marcus Bent hit the side netting from an acute angle while Jason Koumas bent a free-kick well wide before the referee mercifully took the players off for half time.

606: DEBATE
A fantastic 2-0 win - we should be proud of the performance Portsmouth put in at the end of the match

Fratton_1606

The second half began to the tune of 2,000 Pompey fans, who had travelled for free on 40 coaches laid on by owner Alexandre Gaydamak, urging their team to 'play up'.

But the half-time teamtalks of Pompey boss Harry Redknapp and his Wigan counterpart Chris Hutchings appeared to have had little effect as misplaced passes continued to litter the pitch.

Wigan's Julius Aghahowa replaced the injured Antoine Sibierski five minutes into the half and was booked just six seconds later after clattering into Campbell.

And the Nigerian striker was then felled when trying to block Kranjcar's free-kick.

Portsmouth were becoming the more adventurous side and Campbell glanced a header wide while Hreidarsson somehow nodded over from six yards.

So it came as no surprise when Muntari found himself in enough space down the left to provide a wonderful near-post cross which Benjani turned in with a side-foot volley.

That left Wigan just nine minutes to find an equaliser.

But five minutes later, their fourth consecutive league defeat was confirmed when Johnson strolled down the right wing, cut inside and struck a low shot beyond the dive of Kirkland.



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Wigan boss Chris Hutchings:
"If Scharner had scored that goal early on it might have been the spark we needed but it wasn't to be.
"I was obviously very disappointed to concede with 10 minutes to go. We had kept Benjani reasonably quiet up to that point and then he tucked it away.

"We tried to change it after the goal and they exploited the space on the counter-attack, but the second goal was very, very disappointing because we didn't pick Johnson up and it wasn't good enough."


Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp:
"I said at half-time that the game was there for us to win.
"In games like that it is important we pick up points and I would not have been happy coming here and getting a point.

"We wouldn't have won these sorts of games six years ago because the players were useless, that's why I'm here and we've got stronger players now and we are a stronger outfit."



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Wigan: Kirkland, Boyce, Granqvist, Bramble, Kilbane, Scharner, Brown, Landzaat, Koumas, Sibierski (Aghahowa 52), Bent

Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Hall, Olembe, Skoko

Booked: Aghahowa, Bramble

Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Campbell, Distin, Hreidarsson, Utaka, Davis (Pedro Mendes 77), Diop, Kranjcar, Muntari, Mwaruwari

Subs Not Used: Ashdown, Nugent, Taylor, Pamarot

Booked: Campbell, Davis, Muntari

Goals: Mwaruwari 81, Johnson 86

Att: 17,695

Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire)