Sky Bet League One leaders Wigan hope to take another step back towards the Championship when they host Cambridge on Saturday evening. Michael Beardmore has the preview and a best bet.
Football betting tips: League One
1pt Wigan to win and both teams to score at 14/5 (Boyle Sports)
Seven points clear of third-placed Rotherham with five games to go, Sky Bet League One leaders Wigan are marching towards promotion back to the Championship – and possibly the title too.
Three wins will do the trick to seal an automatic promotion spot – and given Rotherham’s fading form, it probably won’t even take that.
The Latics have navigated a heavy fixture list to win nine of their past 14 League One games, losing just once, and Saturday’s clash with Cambridge is, on paper, their most straightforward remaining fixture.
The U’s, though, are no pushovers as giant-killing victims Newcastle found out in this season’s FA Cup, but a price of 1/3 about a home win show how heavy favourites Wigan are.
Wigan’s defence began the season in imperious form, keeping eight clean sheets in their opening 15 games, but they have managed only seven shut-outs in the 26 since.
Equally importantly, the majority of those seven clean sheets have come against the division’s poorer sides – Crewe (twice), AFC Wimbledon, Fleetwood and Burton all in the bottom eight.
The Latics have still frequently been winning games but when faced with relatively decent opposition, they have done so while shipping a goal or even two.
Cambridge have only failed to score in five of their 21 away games this season and have enjoyed a creditable season back in the third tier after promotion last term.
This will be one of their toughest tasks to date, of course, but the U’s drew 2-2 with Wigan in the reverse fixture, a game in which the Latics needed two late goals to salvage a point.
Mark Bonner’s side have scored in defeats at promotion-chasers MK Dons, Rotherham and Oxford this season as well as in losses at home to top-six hopefuls Wycombe and Sunderland.
Based on their efforts this season, I fancy them to give Leam Richardson’s Latics a game before ultimately falling to defeat.
Of Wigan’s 26 wins this season, exactly half (13) have featured goals for both sides which, given we expect them to triumph makes WIGAN TO WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE at 14/5 a far more appealing price than a Wigan win to nil at evens.
Wigan v Cambridge score prediction and best bet
- Wigan to win and both teams to score at 14/5 (Boyle Sports)
Score prediction: Wigan 2-1 Cambridge (Sky Bet odds: 15/2)
Odds correct 1615 BST (14/04/22)
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