Lincoln City are back on the road in Sky Bet League One as they travel to Greater Manchester to play Wigan Athletic.
Michael Skubala’s side will be looking to get back to winning ways after defeat to Blackpool on Tuesday night paused their progress towards the play-off places.
Opposition: Wigan Athletic
Winners of the FA Cup back in 2013, Wigan Athletic find themselves 16th in League One as a settled third division side under former player Shaun Maloney.
Their recent form has seen the Latics pick up maximum points in three of their last five fixtures in all competitions. However, Athletic welcome the Imps after a narrow 1-0 defeat at Peterborough United in midweek.
Team News:
City remain without the services of goalkeeper George Wickens as he continues to recover from his shoulder problem. Jack Moylan, Tyler Walker, and Tom Hamer all remain sidelined, as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
Forward Ben House went down early into the fixture against Blackpool and could be out for the game at the weekend. Jovon Makama could feature in his place, or Michael Skubala could give a first start to January signing James Collins.
Fellow new signing Joe Gardner arrived from Nottingham Forest on loan until the end of the season and will be looking to get some minutes under his belt.
As for Wigan, they have been active in the transfer window, bringing in Ronan Darcy from Crawley Town. He could make his Latics debut if selected, while Jensen Weir could feature after he has returned from suspension.
The January transfer window has seen star man Thelo Aasgaard depart the club in a £3million move to Luton Town. Will Goodwin has been brought in on loan from Oxford United to boost their attacking ranks.
Head-to-head:
This season’s reverse fixture saw the two sides play out a goalless draw at the LNER Stadium back in September. In recent years, the fixture has belonged to the hosts, with Lincoln last beating the Latics in 2021 at the Brick Community Stadium.
It was Wigan who ended City’s magical 16 game unbeaten run late last season, thanks to a late Charlie Hughes winner.
Overall, the two sides have met 32 times in their history, with the Latics taking victory on 16 occasions, with City successful 12 times.
Played for Both:
There are a host of names that have played in both Greater Manchester and Lincolnshire. Within Skubala’s ranks, both Tom Bayliss and Tendayi Darikwa have spent time at the Brick Community Stadium.
Former Imp and current Colchester United winger Anthony Scully has had a foot in both camps after he made five appearances for Wigan in a short six month loan spell. Scully had previously been at Lincoln for over two years, making over 100 appearances for City.