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Arsenal take dwindling hopes to struggling Wigan.

At the DW Stadium
today, struggling Wigan will attempt to take some vital points from
Arsenal and finally destroy the London side’s chances of claiming a
first league title in five years. The encounter will also bring
together two managers with similar footballing philosophies, but whose
sides currently inhabit different ends of the Premier League table.

Roberto Martinez’s
Wigan have managed just one win in their last six league games and now
find themselves just a few points clear of the relegation zone. But
that is only because the Latics have been terrible, to say the least,
in front of goal. Indeed, Wigan have scored just four times in their
last ten league games.

In contrast,
Arsenal have averaged more than a goal per game in their last 12 league
matches with Nicklas Bendtner scoring nine times in his last 11
appearances. And recent performances point to a bad day at the bank for
Wigan even though they are up against an Arsenal side that saw its
chances of ending the season as champions suffer a huge dent at the
hands of Tottenham.

Following the 2-1
loss at White Hart Lane on Wednesday, a result which killed their title
aspirations, Arsenal will be eager to get back to winning ways and put
that painful defeat behind them. And against a Wigan side that has
taken just one point from their past nine Premier League meetings
against the Gunners, that could just be the case at the end of the day.

But Arsenal have
kept only two clean sheets in their last 14 away matches, and that lack
of steel at the back will give Martinez’s side hope of snatching some
priceless points against the Gunners who will undoubtedly be buoyed by
the presence of Robin Van Persie who made a successful reintroduction
to the game in the loss at White Hart Lane.

“Van Persie hasn’t
kicked a ball for five months. You could see straight away he gave us
something different and something special,” said Wenger in the
aftermath of his team’s defeat last Wednesday.

But Van Persie’s
return is just a small part of it as Arsenal still have a whole lot of
injuries to contend with as Cesc Fabregas, Aaron Ramsay, William
Gallas, Johan Djourou, Kieran Gibbs and Thomas Vermaelen are all
sidelined while Cameroon international Alex Song and Russian ace Andrey
Arshavin are doubtful for the tie.

Pompey seeking to go off with a bang

The only other
Premier League tie scheduled for today will see recently relegated
Portsmouth taking on Aston Villa at Fratton Park.

Portsmouth have
endured a terrible season, both on and off the pitch, but irrespective
of their relegation to the English lower division, Avram Grant’s side
will still finish the season off in grand style, courtesy of an FA Cup
final appearance against Chelsea.

But they still have
to play out their league engagements before the May 15 final against
the Blues, and will be hoping to further dent the continental
aspirations of an Aston Villa side who have seen their form fade since
the turn of the year.

Indeed, the Villans
have drawn eight of their last 13 league matches while managing a
meagre win in five. But they do boast of a solid backline that has kept
six clean sheets in their last nine away matches.

It is the same case
scenario for Portsmouth whose recent form has also been poor as they
have failed to score in every one of their last four league games with
just a win to their credit in their last seven league games.

And it won’t be the
first time both sides will be meeting at Fratton Park this season as
they met last December in a Carling Cup quarter-final clash that ended
in a 4-2 win for Aston Villa. And there is every indication Pompey will
not fare any better in today’s game as they will face Villa without the
services of the injured duo of Danny Webber and Hermann Hreidarsson,
while Nadir Belhadj and Tal Ben Haim remain doubts.