Post by Golden_Boy™ on Dec 29, 2006 12:47:10 GMT -1
Watford v Wigan
Vicarage Road
Saturday, 30 December
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live, and highlights on MOTD
Watford defender Danny Shittu (ankle) will have a late fitness test.
Hameur Bouazza (shoulder) is set to miss up to six weeks, while Marlon King (knee), James Chambers (gash) and Clarke Carlisle (muscle) are also out.
Wigan captain Arjan de Zeeuw (toe) returns after missing the defeat at Manchester United but Paul Scharner (knee) is out for eight weeks.
Striker Henri Camara is still out with a knee problem and winger Lee McCulloch completes a three-match ban.
[shadow=red,left,300]
Watford (from): Foster, Stewart, DeMerit, Mahon, Henderson, Young, Shittu, Bangura, Mariappa, Smith, Francis, Doyley, Lee, McNamee, Priskin.[/shadow]
Wigan (from): Kirkland, Jackson, Hall, Kilbane, Cywka, Johansson, Landzaat, Heskey, Boyce, Cotterill, Skoko, Baines, de Zeeuw, Wright, Todorov, Teale, Pollitt.
Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd on being bottom of the Premiership:
"Nobody is saying that we aren't frustrated with how this season has gone.
"But if we had a real goalscorer in the team then we probably would be talking about Europe rather than relegation.
"We are not on a slippery slope. The team is full of young players who have come from the academy and we know where we are going."![](http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/11/yeahmm3.gif)
BIG-MATCH FACTS
WATFORD have a survival battle on their hands, as they embark on the second half of their second ever Premiership season. Seven years ago they were on exactly the same mark of 11 points after 19 matches and ended up being relegated in bottom place, 12 points short. As they prepare to face Wigan, the Hornets are nine points below safety. Victory would see them finish 2006 off the foot, if it is combined with a home defeat for Charlton against Aston Villa.
All but three of Watford's 11 points have been picked up at Vicarage Road, but they face the Latics battling to avoid a fourth successive defeat, home and away.
This is the first Watford will have entertained Wigan in a Premiership fixture at Vicarage Road.
WIGAN ATHLETIC are in freefall, on a four match losing run, and without a win in five. They've conceded three goals in each of their last two matches, but they were against Chelsea (h) and Manchester United (a).
Paul Jewell's side are one defeat away from matching their longest losing run in the Premiership, but will not be expecting to replicate the five-game pointless sequence between 19 November and 14 December last year.
Four of the seven League matches between Watford and Wigan have been drawn, including the reverse fixture in September which ended 1-1.
REFEREE
Steve Tanner (Somerset)
Premiership referees' table
Steve Tanner (Somerset)
SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM
WATFORD
Club stats
Fixtures
20th 11 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 19th
Lowest could fall: 20th
1. Claimed two points from a last possible 24, and scored two goals in six games.
2. Lost 10 times in this Premiership campaign, as have Wigan.
3. Scored just 12 goals - the equal lowest in the top table, with West Ham.
4. Kept six clean sheets, but only won one of those - that's the worst such return of any club in this Premiership campaign.
5. Opened the scoring in fewer top flight matches than any other club (four of 19).
6. Failed to score in four of the last six.
7. Gone in at half time all square in more Premiership games than any other club (13).
8. Gained one point from a possible nine at home since the solitary 2-0 win over Middlesbrough on 4 November.
9. Hoping to add to the 100 top flight victories in the club's history. Won seven of their 57 Premier League matches all time (six of 28 at home).
10. The New Years Day fixture is away to Fulham.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
Club stats
Fixtures
14th 22 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 10th
Lowest could fall: 16th
1. Lost the last four League games, against Arsenal (h), Sheffield United (h), Chelsea (h) and Manchester United (a).
2. Gained one win in nine Premiership outings (0-2 at West Ham on 6 December).
3. Lost six of the last eight top tier encounters.
4. At their most dangerous in the first five minutes of Premiership matches, when four goals have been scored. At their most vulnerable in the last five minutes, when four goals have been conceded. That's more than any other club on both counts.
5. The joint most proligate club in the highest League, with Newcastle. Both have effectively dropped 13 points from winning positions (drawn two, lost three).
6. Won six Premiership matches to Watford's one, and gained three times as many victories away from home than the Hornets have bagged at home (three to one).
7. The New Year's Day fixture is home to Blackburn.
KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES
WATFORD
Squad profiles
Ashley YOUNG is Watford's top scorer with four goals.
YOUNG and Hameur BOUAZZA are the club's top Premiership scorers with three each.
Darius HENDERSON is the only player to have figured in at least a part of every one of Watford's Premiership matches this season. (still can't feckin score!)
If he plays, HENDERSON will be making his 50th League appearance for the Hornets.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
Squad profiles
Henri CAMARA is Wigan's top scorer with six goals, all scored in the Premiership.
If he plays, CAMARA will be making his 50th appearance for Wigan.
Emile HESKEY needs two more goals to total 100 in English League football.
Emmerson BOYCE and Chris KIRKLAND are the only remaining players to have started each of the Latics' League fixtures this season.
If selected in the 11, Arjan DE ZEEUW will be making his 50th start for the Latics.
THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Wigan Athletic 1-1 Watford
23 September 2006 - Ref: Rob Styles
Wigan scorer: Camara 29
Watford scorer: Bouazza 63
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
Home and away
League: Watford 1 wins, Wigan 2, Draws 4
Prem: Watford 0 wins, Wigan 0, Draws 1
at Watford only
League: Watford 1 win, Wigan 0, Draws 2
Prem: Watford 0 wins, Wigan 0, Draws 0
Vicarage Road
Saturday, 30 December
Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage on the BBC Sport website, BBC Radio Five Live, and highlights on MOTD
Watford defender Danny Shittu (ankle) will have a late fitness test.
Hameur Bouazza (shoulder) is set to miss up to six weeks, while Marlon King (knee), James Chambers (gash) and Clarke Carlisle (muscle) are also out.
Wigan captain Arjan de Zeeuw (toe) returns after missing the defeat at Manchester United but Paul Scharner (knee) is out for eight weeks.
Striker Henri Camara is still out with a knee problem and winger Lee McCulloch completes a three-match ban.
[shadow=red,left,300]
Watford (from): Foster, Stewart, DeMerit, Mahon, Henderson, Young, Shittu, Bangura, Mariappa, Smith, Francis, Doyley, Lee, McNamee, Priskin.[/shadow]
Wigan (from): Kirkland, Jackson, Hall, Kilbane, Cywka, Johansson, Landzaat, Heskey, Boyce, Cotterill, Skoko, Baines, de Zeeuw, Wright, Todorov, Teale, Pollitt.
Watford boss Adrian Boothroyd on being bottom of the Premiership:
"Nobody is saying that we aren't frustrated with how this season has gone.
"But if we had a real goalscorer in the team then we probably would be talking about Europe rather than relegation.
"We are not on a slippery slope. The team is full of young players who have come from the academy and we know where we are going."
![](http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/11/yeahmm3.gif)
BIG-MATCH FACTS
WATFORD have a survival battle on their hands, as they embark on the second half of their second ever Premiership season. Seven years ago they were on exactly the same mark of 11 points after 19 matches and ended up being relegated in bottom place, 12 points short. As they prepare to face Wigan, the Hornets are nine points below safety. Victory would see them finish 2006 off the foot, if it is combined with a home defeat for Charlton against Aston Villa.
All but three of Watford's 11 points have been picked up at Vicarage Road, but they face the Latics battling to avoid a fourth successive defeat, home and away.
This is the first Watford will have entertained Wigan in a Premiership fixture at Vicarage Road.
WIGAN ATHLETIC are in freefall, on a four match losing run, and without a win in five. They've conceded three goals in each of their last two matches, but they were against Chelsea (h) and Manchester United (a).
Paul Jewell's side are one defeat away from matching their longest losing run in the Premiership, but will not be expecting to replicate the five-game pointless sequence between 19 November and 14 December last year.
Four of the seven League matches between Watford and Wigan have been drawn, including the reverse fixture in September which ended 1-1.
REFEREE
Steve Tanner (Somerset)
Premiership referees' table
Steve Tanner (Somerset)
SEQUENCES/RECENT FORM
WATFORD
Club stats
Fixtures
20th 11 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 19th
Lowest could fall: 20th
1. Claimed two points from a last possible 24, and scored two goals in six games.
2. Lost 10 times in this Premiership campaign, as have Wigan.
3. Scored just 12 goals - the equal lowest in the top table, with West Ham.
4. Kept six clean sheets, but only won one of those - that's the worst such return of any club in this Premiership campaign.
5. Opened the scoring in fewer top flight matches than any other club (four of 19).
6. Failed to score in four of the last six.
7. Gone in at half time all square in more Premiership games than any other club (13).
8. Gained one point from a possible nine at home since the solitary 2-0 win over Middlesbrough on 4 November.
9. Hoping to add to the 100 top flight victories in the club's history. Won seven of their 57 Premier League matches all time (six of 28 at home).
10. The New Years Day fixture is away to Fulham.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
Club stats
Fixtures
14th 22 points
Highest achievable after Saturday's matches: 10th
Lowest could fall: 16th
1. Lost the last four League games, against Arsenal (h), Sheffield United (h), Chelsea (h) and Manchester United (a).
2. Gained one win in nine Premiership outings (0-2 at West Ham on 6 December).
3. Lost six of the last eight top tier encounters.
4. At their most dangerous in the first five minutes of Premiership matches, when four goals have been scored. At their most vulnerable in the last five minutes, when four goals have been conceded. That's more than any other club on both counts.
5. The joint most proligate club in the highest League, with Newcastle. Both have effectively dropped 13 points from winning positions (drawn two, lost three).
6. Won six Premiership matches to Watford's one, and gained three times as many victories away from home than the Hornets have bagged at home (three to one).
7. The New Year's Day fixture is home to Blackburn.
KEY PLAYER NOTES/POTENTIAL MILESTONES
WATFORD
Squad profiles
Ashley YOUNG is Watford's top scorer with four goals.
YOUNG and Hameur BOUAZZA are the club's top Premiership scorers with three each.
Darius HENDERSON is the only player to have figured in at least a part of every one of Watford's Premiership matches this season. (still can't feckin score!)
If he plays, HENDERSON will be making his 50th League appearance for the Hornets.
WIGAN ATHLETIC
Squad profiles
Henri CAMARA is Wigan's top scorer with six goals, all scored in the Premiership.
If he plays, CAMARA will be making his 50th appearance for Wigan.
Emile HESKEY needs two more goals to total 100 in English League football.
Emmerson BOYCE and Chris KIRKLAND are the only remaining players to have started each of the Latics' League fixtures this season.
If selected in the 11, Arjan DE ZEEUW will be making his 50th start for the Latics.
THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Wigan Athletic 1-1 Watford
23 September 2006 - Ref: Rob Styles
Wigan scorer: Camara 29
Watford scorer: Bouazza 63
HEAD TO HEAD TOTALS
Home and away
League: Watford 1 wins, Wigan 2, Draws 4
Prem: Watford 0 wins, Wigan 0, Draws 1
at Watford only
League: Watford 1 win, Wigan 0, Draws 2
Prem: Watford 0 wins, Wigan 0, Draws 0