PREMIER LEAGUE: DW STADIUM, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2010. KICK-OFF: 1945 GMTWIGAN ATHLETIC:
Manager Roberto Martinez is urging his players to approach this match as a "cup final" as he tries to arrest a poor run of form that has seen Wigan slide down the Premier League table.
It is fascinating to hear a Spanish-born manager use the most English of cliches regarding the significance of the Latics' match against Stoke, but Martinez is desperate for a victory.
He said: "We need to make sure that as a club we go into the game looking at it as if its a cup final within the league. These are important moments in our season that we need to be ready for and we need to start getting the points that our performances deserve."
Martinez also believes it is about time that Lady Luck shone on the DW Stadium after winning just three of their last 10 Premier League encounters as well as being dumped out of the FA Cup by lowly Notts County.
"In football sometimes it is better to be lucky than good and we have been very good in areas recently but not had the luck," Martinez said.
"Overall we know that we can create chances but we will have to concentrate and stay focused against Stoke's power and if we do that we can enjoy our football."
Strategy: Wigan needed to tighten up at the back and they need to do it quickly if they are to move away from the bottom of the league. They are currently just two places and two points above the relegation zone and that is because they have conceded 48 goals this season already.
A clean sheet from Chris Kirkland would therefore undoubtedly help matters as would more action at the other end of the field from Jason Scotland who has still not scored in the Premier League this term. That was not the kind of reward Martinez was after when he raided his former club Swansea City for him in the summer and he needs to get better quickly. Martinez will also be hoping midfielders James McCarthy and Charles N'Zogbia continued to shine as they have done recently.
Injury Update: Steven Gouhri is Wigan's only injury concern at present with a hamstring problem.
STOKE CITY:
Matthew Etherington has completed a startling reformation that could even result in a surprise call-up to the England squad as manager Tony Pulis predicts the winger faces a pivotal final three months of the season.
Less than two years ago Etherington endured a personal nightmare at his previous club West Ham after failing to kick a serious gambling addiction, but he has undergone a rapid transformation since his £2m move to Stoke last January.
The 28-year-old has been excellent for the Potters this season and has even forced some of Stoke's critics to revise their opinions on the team's style of play.
Pulis is convinced that Etherington's hopes of a first international cap would be enhanced if he was at a more established club. He may well have a point, but he has told him to use the remainder of the season as an audition to Fabio Capello in his bid to gatecrash the World Cup squad.
He said: "The great thing is he's got his private life under control now with the gambling, he's relaxed and he's playing great football. That's what we try to do, to make him relaxed and make him concentrate more on his football.
"I don't think there's ever been anybody who doubted his ability, and he's so quick as well, with the ball and without the ball. He's a constant threat.
"If they are talking about England and stuff, then that's brilliant. He's got 15 games left to really push that home now. I think Capello's his own man and he will pick what he thinks is right, but you never know, if they pick up a couple of injuries on the left hand side, who's to say that Matty isn't good enough to go?"
Strategy: Ricardo Fuller was arrested over an incident at a Staffordshire nightclub at the weekend and Pulis will assess his frame of mind before naming his squad. He will make some changes, though, with Tuncay expected to be recalled, possibly at the expense of Fuller. Glenn Whelan may also replace Liam Lawrence. Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen will certainly be on his toes - he was beaten by Maynor Figueroa's incredible goal from his own half in the 2-2 draw at the Britannia Stadium in December.
Injury Update: Captain Abdoulaye Faye is expected to return from the back injury that forced his exclusion from the squad that played Blackburn Rovers last Saturday.
