Premier League preview: Wigan v Aston Villa

Tuesday’s clash between Wigan and Aston Villa shapes as a crunch match for both sides as they continue to fight for Premier League survival.

Wigan sit 18th on the table after Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal, but are just three points behind 16th-place Villa, who moved out of the relegation zone with an upset 1-0 win over Manchester City.

A win for either side at the DW Stadium on Tuesday would secure a valuable three points while dealing a blow to the survival hopes of the loser, and Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi said his side are facing a defining period in their campaign.

“We now have 15 games left of the season, and the next three games are going to be massive for us, with Aston Villa, West Brom and Blackburn coming up,” said Al Habsi.

“These three games I think are going to shape our season, and we have to concentrate and do ourselves justice.”

“Tomorrow’s game is huge. One point isn’t good enough against Villa – we need to be picking up all three and we’ll need everyone – the players and the fans – pulling in the same direction to do that.”

The loss against Arsenal extended Wigan’s winless run to five matches in the Premier League, but they have been beaten just once in their last eight outings at the DW Stadium.

Manager Roberto Martinez will have a near-full squad to choose from, with only midfielders Tom Cleverley and Viktor Moses unavailable.

Villa will need to overcome their poor form on the road if they are to claim their seventh win of the season on Tuesday.

Gerard Houllier’s side have won just one league game on the road this season, but will be full of confidence after they snapped a five game winless streak with their victory over Manchester City.

Record signing Darren Bent scored the only goal of the match on Saturday, but the 18-million-pound man predicted there were plenty more to come.

“It was a fantastic feeling to score the goal. For a striker, there really is no better feeling in the world than seeing that ball fly into the back of the net,” Bent said.

“Hopefully they’ll be many more games like this to come.”

Villa also have a short injury list, with the absence of Stephen Ireland the only real concern for Houllier.