Wigan v Ipswich: Unders the route to profit

Uwe Rosler thinks his men have been getting a raw deal from officials in recent matches

The Championship takes centre stage in Monday Night Football this week and Andy Tongue thinks a close contest is in prospect between two fairly evenly-matched outfits...

Wigan v Ipswich
Monday 22 September
19:45
Live on Sky Sports 1

Wigan

Uwe Rosler's outfit haven't enjoyed quite the start their fans or those who fancied them to challenge for the title this season would have hoped for. The Latics currently sit in 16th place with just the two wins from their first seven league games. Those victories both come at the DW Stadium but they were against two of the division's strugglers in Birmingham and Blackpool and three defeats from four matches on the road have left them rooted in the lower half of the table.

After both the goalless draw at Huddersfield on Tuesday and the 3-1 reverse at Blackburn last weekend, Rosler claimed his side weren't playing badly but were suffering from a run of bad refereeing decisions and some bad luck. 

Big things are expected of French striker Andy Delort who was the subject of interest from numerous other English clubs before opting to join the Latics. He'll be hoping for better service than he's received in his first couple of appearances with only Callum McManaman offering much in the way of creativity.

The winger received a yellow card at Huddersfield in midweek for diving, when Rosler insisted the visitors should have been given a penalty.

Ipswich

Successive 2-0 home wins over Millwall and Brighton boosted Mick McCarthy's outfit and propelled them back into the top half of the table. Like their opponents here they haven't yet managed to win on the road this season, although going to Reading, Birmingham and Derby was a tough trio of opening away days. The point at the iPro Stadium was a particularly creditable one and they also battled hard at St. Andrews to earn a 2-2 draw with a last gasp equaliser.

Those two clean sheets in four days will have pleased McCarthy, a defender himself, who likes his sides to build around a solid defensive base. They also have a twin threat up front with Republic of Ireland intentional Daryl Murphy (three goals so far this season) and last year's top scorer David McGoldrick.

McCarthy may decide to rest talented 18-year-old midfielder Teddy Bishop who has made an immediate impact in the last three games - his full first-team appearances, adding some much-needed creativity in the centre of pitch. 

The DW Stadium hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Town - they've played there three times and lost on each occasion. Co-incidentially the sides met on exactly the same date (22 September) in the equivalent fixture last season, with the Latics triumphing 2-0.

Over/Under 2.5 goals

Wigan are the 2.111/10 favourites in the match odds market, a price based on their home form so far this season and their status among the ante-post favourites for promotion rather than their current league position. Although Ipswich haven't won away this season and don't have fond memories of previous trips here they will be full of confidence after those two wins last week.

So I'll prefer to look at the Over/Under 2.5 goals market where I think we can find the best bet. As mentioned above McCarthy likes his sides to keep it solid at the back - only two sides have conceded less than Town this season - and I'm sure he'll set them up here to defend as two solid banks of four here.

Wigan scored four at home to Birmingham last month but haven't created too many chances in their last couple of games which again points to a close, low-scoring contest.

With James McClean in line for a possible first start of the season after injury, Rosler will be confident his men can start to climb the table once his new-look attack starts to gel but this game may have come just too soon.

Correct Score

This could be a frustrating night for the home fans, and Dave Whelan, who would have expected their team to be in the top echelons of the table from the outset of this season.

Ipswich are a tough nut to crack under McCarthy and while they may lack their opponents big names, they are well drilled and hard-working. With their strike duo and Christoph Berra's threat from set-pieces they do have some attacking weapons of their own. This makes the 1-1 draw a tempting prospect in the correct score market at 7.413/2.

Recommended Bets

Back Under 2.5 Goals @ 1.855/6 Best bet
Back 1-1 in the correct score market @ 7.413/2

2014/15 P/L

Staked: 26 pts
Returned: 28.65 pts
P/L: +2.65 pts

*2pts best bet if stated
1pt other recommended bets