Fulham vs Wigan Predictions

It’s been a tough couple of weeks for Fulham, who head into this weekend without a win in five league games. They’ve had a tough time of late, but could Scott Parker be about to turn things around? The Cottagers are aiming for three points on Friday night, while they are heavy favourites for a win at home to Wigan.

Fulham are aiming for a return to the Premier League this term, a far from straightforward move given that they’ve trusted Scott Parker to deliver in his first full season as a manager. While some continue to question their credentials, this clash seems custom-made for Parker to silence his critics.

You might think that Wigan could get a result here, fresh from knocking Charlton out of the league’s top three. When you consider Fulham’s form it seems possible, but the Latics are a completely different beast on the road. They claimed their second win of the season at the weekend, but they’ve secured just one point from their four away trips so far.

Last season Wigan earned only 21% of their total Championship points through their away games. That was a huge part in their relegation troubles, with the Latics consistently falling short on the road. They’ve failed to win 24 of their last 25 away games at this level. Last season they were beaten in 16 of 23 away trips, including six losses at the top seven. Their poor away form has caused plenty of problems, with nine of their last 11 trips seeing over 2.5 goals scored.

Wigan shipped 15 goals across those trips to the top seven, while we expect Fulham to make huge dents in the Latics’ defence. Aleksandar Mitrovic should pull apart this Wigan side. The only real concern for Fulham here is that Wigan have scored in back to back away games, while the hosts haven’t kept a clean sheet in their last five games.

Given the respective records of both sides, a Fulham win looks likely. However, given how short the Cottagers are for the three points, we’re going with a home win and over 2.5 goals. Wigan have conceded nine times in four clashes, while three of their last four meetings have seen at least three goals scored. With Fulham a little shaky at the back, there could well be a goal for the visitors too.

With Wigan shipping too many goals on the road, we’re also backing Fulham to comfortably win this one. A 3-1 home victory for the Cottagers is our tip for Friday’s game, which suggests the Craven Cottage faithful are in for an exciting night.