Super Stoke can Lash Loser Latics

The weekend did not exactly do us at Like Buying Money proud with our football bets (Stoke v Man City draw & Charlton to beat Wednesday) looking good up to 80+ minutes & a trip to Cheltenham ruined betting wise when our punts on Imperial Commander (£30k matched in-running at 1/100) & The New One (£9k matched in-running at 1/50) also went down! We need a bit more than a minor rough patch to stop us though & the midweek fixtures seem to have thrown up a nice bet in a game between one of the league's toughest teams & one of the least resilient.

Stoke City vs Wigan Athletic

OK, so Stoke didn't quite last the full 90 minutes on Saturday against Premier League champions Manchester City but they have the chance to redeem themselves to us & followers by taking advantage of arguably the easiest fixture in the league season - a home fixture against Wigan.

(Wigan wil without Ivory Coast star Arouna Kone)

Wigan's claims for having a chance in this one must rest mainly on the fact that they are rested after fielding a weakened team in their FA Cup game against non-league Macclesfield but their league form has been poor & they have surely used up their unlikely relegation escapes in recent seasons. Wigan have conceded the second most goals so far, behind only Aston Villa who conceded 8 in one game & they've won just once in 10 with that coming against the aforementioned hapless Villa. Arouna Kone has been reasonable up front for Wigan but he's on Africa Cup of Nations duty & it's hard to see where their goals will come from against a Stoke outfit that have kept 9 clean sheets on the season.

(Jon Walters can trouble the Wigan defence instead of his own)

Asmir Begovic will return to goal for the Potters after sitting out Saturday's fixture & he will be tough to beat even if Wigan do manage to create many chances, that should mean the attacking players can play with freedom & confidence. Jon Walters remains a key player for Stoke even if he garnered unwanted attention for two own goals & a penalty miss against Chelsea & he could find success against the back three formation that Martinez likes his defence to play. Goalscoring has certainly been Stoke's problem with just 22 on the season but 14 have come at home suggesting away fixtures are more of a problem & even if Wigan put players behind the ball they'll remain vulnerable against what will likely be multiple set pieces for the home team.

It's tempting to take the odds on the under 2.5 goals scoreline but a Stoke win has to be the bet, they've only lost at home to Chelsea (league) & Man City (cup) on the season with the Brittania remaining formidable - back them at 21/20 with several firms.

Selection:
Stoke City to beat Wigan Athletic at 21/20 (Various)