Premier League preview: West Ham v Wigan

West Ham United have dubbed Saturday’s clash against Wigan Athletic the ‘save our season game’ as they attempt to stave off relegation.

The Hammers have managed just one win for the entire season, a shock 1-0 result over Tottenham, and prop up the league table with a measly nine points.

Most recently, Avram Grant’s side went down 3-0 at Liverpool, a performance striker Carlton Cole labelled ‘diabolical’.

Last season, the Hammers returned from a disappointing trip to Anfield to claim the three points against Wigan, and West Ham chiefs are clearly hoping for a similar story this weekend.

But considering West Ham’s form of late, it seems unlikely.

Worse still, the growing player unrest at Upton Park could soon claim Grant’s job, as it did his assistant Zeljko Petrovic, who was sacked this week.

The Hammers reportedly called a crisis meeting after the loss to Liverpool and took a vote of confidence in their boss, but describing a match as a ‘must-win’ with nearly two-thirds of the season to come cannot be healthy for the mentality at Upton Park.

Not to mention West Ham will remain in the drop zone even with a win against Wigan, and they are likely to come crashing back down to earth when they pay a visit to Arsenal next time out anyhow.

But West Ham have one very important factor in their favour this weekend – the return of captain and talisman Scott Parker.

Parker was ruled out of the Liverpool defeat with a chest infection and the inspirational midfielder could provide the spark the Hammers need to get their season back on track.

Wigan, meanwhile, are hoping to make their stay in the relegation zone a short one.

The Latics fell to 18th on the table with a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday, their third loss in the past five matches.

But they have an opportunity to secure a rare three points at Upton Park and could also find themselves 17th again if Fulham cannot hold off Birmingham City.

Roberto Martinez’s men are expecting an intimidating atmosphere given Upton Park bosses have slashed ticket prices to ensure a full house.

Latics defender Steve Gohouri did not mince words when asked about the match, admitting Wigan cannot afford a defeat either as they contemplate relegation.

“It’s a massive game against a team we’re in direct competition with,” Gohouri said.

“These are the games we have to be taking points from. It doesn’t matter how we do it we just need to make sure we come back from Upton Park with points on the board.”

Complicating matters will be the loss of captain Antolin Alcaraz and Hugo Rodallega, both of whom were sent off during the loss at Old Trafford.

Look for Carlton Cole and Charles N’Zogbia to fire for their respective sides on the weekend.

Both have been vocal this week – with Cole criticising Grant’s tactics and his team-mates, and N’Zogbia declaring Wigan a ‘stepping stone’ and reiterating his desire to leave the club – and both will look to back up their words with a strong performance on Saturday.

On the injury front, both clubs have a number of concerns.

Mark Noble suffered a leg injury in the loss at Anfield and joins Thomas Hitzlsperger, Manuel da Costa, Jack Collison, Zavon Hines and Anthony Edgar on the sidelines.

In addition to losing Alcaraz and Rodallega, Wigan will be without Emmerson Boyce, Gary Caldwell and Jamie McCarthy.