The DW Stadium will host Wigan Athletic taking on Manchester United in Round 3 of the English FA Cup. Though Manchester United are favorites going into the game, their recent performances cannot guarantee a win. Sit back and relax as we and the AI predict the winner of this game at the end of 90 minutes.
Wigan Athletic Recent form
The Latics will go into Monday’s highly anticipated match following a 1-1 draw against Barnsley in League One. Jonathan Smith equalized Devante Cole’s first-half goal, resulting in a shared point in the game. This outcome leaves the Latics in 17th place in the league, having accumulated 27 points from their 25 matches this season. It is worth noting that Wigan started the season with a deficit of eight points due to financial difficulties.
Shaun Maloney’s team, who was relegated from the Championship last season, currently sits four points above the relegation zone in League One and 13 points away from the playoff positions. Therefore, they will need to exert considerable effort in the second half of the season if they want to be contenders for promotion.
Wigan has experienced success in the FA Cup this season, defeating Exeter City and York City. However, their last encounter with Manchester United in this competition ended in a 4-0 defeat in January 2017. In fact, Wigan has suffered this scoreline in three out of their last four matches against the 20-time English champions.
The team’s only victory over Manchester United came in the Premier League in April 2012 when they secured a 1-0 win at home. It is important to acknowledge that significant changes have occurred at both clubs since then. Additionally, Wigan achieved success in the FA Cup in the 2012-2013 season, triumphing over Manchester City in the final with a 1-0 victory.
Manchester United Recent form
In terms of FA Cup victories, Manchester United has lifted the trophy 12 times, second only to Arsenal’s 14 triumphs. Their last victory came in 2016 when they defeated Crystal Palace 2-1 in the final. On the other hand, Erik ten Hag’s team reached the final of last season’s competition but lost 2-1 to Manchester City. This season, the FA Cup represents their best chance of winning any silverware. Manchester United is coming into this match after a 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, marking their 14th defeat of the season. They currently sit in eighth place, nine points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. Furthermore, the club had a difficult campaign in the Champions League, finishing at the bottom of their group.
However, the recent announcement of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a minority shareholder has brought a boost in morale at Old Trafford. Ratcliffe’s visit to the training ground received positive feedback from the staff and players. He will take over the football department once his arrival is approved by the Premier League. Following this match, Manchester United will face Tottenham Hotspur at home in the Premier League. There will be pressure on Ten Hag to achieve a positive result against Wigan, even though Wigan operates in a lower division and has home advantage.
Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United Key Stats
- On 9th January 2024, Wigan Athletic faces Manchester United in the FA Cup. The latest encounter resulted in Wigan Athletic losing 0-4 against Manchester United.
- Over the past meetings, Wigan Athletic has won only 1 out of 14 games against Manchester United, with Manchester United securing victories in 13 matches and no draws recorded between them.
- Wigan Athletic displays good form at home, while Manchester United’s performance is considered average when playing away games.
- Throughout their matchups, the average goals scored between Wigan Athletic and Manchester United have been 3.29, and both teams scoring occurred only 7% of the time.
- In this season’s FA Cup, Wigan Athletic has maintained an average of 2 Points Per Game in their home matches, contrasting with Manchester United’s 0.83 Points Per Game in their away fixtures.
AI Predicts Winner of Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United
We gave the stats, recent head-to-head game facts, and current form of both the teams to Natural Language processing AIs (ChatGpt and Bard), and here are the results.
ChatGPT’s prediction
“Manchester United is likely to win against Wigan Athletic. Over the years, Manchester United has dominated their matchups, winning 13 out of 14 encounters, while Wigan Athletic secured only one win. Additionally, Manchester United’s ability to perform reasonably well away from home, despite an average record, gives them an edge against Wigan Athletic’s good home form in the FA Cup this season.”
Bards’s prediction
“Manchester United are heavily favored to beat Wigan Athletic despite Wigan’s strong home form (2 PPG) and past victory (1 in 14). MU’s historical dominance (13 wins), superior overall form (albeit average away), and high-scoring record against Wigan (3.29 avg goals) overshadow Wigan’s hopes. Expect Manchester United to cruise to victory, potentially ending the low BTTS trend (7%).”
Our Experts Predict Winner of Wigan Athletic vs Manchester United
This season, watching Manchester United has been challenging, with a scarcity of goals. However, on Monday, the Red Devils are expected to outperform their League One rivals. Ten Hag is likely to select a formidable team considering the significance of the FA Cup for the club this year.
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