Match of the Day’s editorial team may already have this fixture at the DW stadium pencilled in for the last slot before the credits role, but two men that won’t care are Roberto Martinez and Tony Pulis.
While there are murmurs of European football in some quarters of the Potteries, Pulis has been quick to quash talk of Europe and is still focused solely on Premier League survival despite his side's surge into the top half of the table: "I've always said that it was a three-year plan coming into the Premier League. If we maintain Premier League status for a third year, then we can really push on," he told BBC Radio Stoke.
The Potters head to Lancashire unbeaten in four games and eighth in the table and will be buoyed by last weekend’s last-gasp equaliser over Manchester City despite having dominated the whole first half.
Having ran out 3-0 winners at West Brom in their last game away from the Britannia, Stoke have every reason to be optimistic especially against a depleted Wigan side who have only found the net 11 times this season – the lowest in the Premier League. The Latics have lost the last two league games, both away from the DW however and were dumped out of the Carling Cup at Arsenal on Tuesday.
But as Roberto Martinez may have thought things couldn’t get any worse with his side languishing in the bottom three, striker Victor Moses could be out for up to three months after dislocating his shoulder during their defeat at Arsenal.
The striker landed awkwardly as he challenged Emmanuel Eboue and Theo Walcott for the ball and was expected to be out for four to six weeks. But further tests have shown he is likely to be sidelined until spring. Latics boss Martinez said: "It is a real blow. He has worked hard to earn his place in the side.
We have to prepare for a massive game on Saturday against Stoke and look for consistency in our league form," he added.
The last two meetings between the sides at Wigan have both ended all square. Last season saw Stoke’s Tuncay grab a deserved late equaliser after Paul Scharner had opening the scoring after just 14 minutes.
Saturday’s encounter will no doubt be a nip-and-tuck affair but history shows this fixture can provide goals. Nine years ago on a cold November night in Lancashire these two sides were battling for promotion back to the Old Division 1 when the Latics ran out emphatic 6-1 winners in front of just 7,000 fans.
And more recently in the reverse fixture last season at the Britannia in front of the Sky Sports cameras Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa scored from his own half in an end-to-end clash with finished 2-2.
Only Blackpool have a worse home record than Wigan this season but one stat that the home side will be keen to continue is that the Potters have not won a single game during December in the last two seasons in the top flight.
Wigan has problems up front ahead of the game with Hugo Rodallega suspended and Victor Moses out for a lengthy spell. In addition, Franco di Santo is rated 50-50, although Mauro Boselli should shake off a knee problem.
The visitors will be without midfielder Marc Wilson, who is serving a one-match ban while the in-form winger Jermaine Pennant is an early doubt. Pennant has a hamstring problem while defender Andy Wilkinson is struggling with his knee - both will have late fitness tests.
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