Liverpool have new focus after European KO

 

Jonno Turner turns his attentions to Liverpool's Saturday evening trip to Wigan, and picks out some nice little earners along the way.

 

Liverpool make the short trip down the M58 to Wigan this evening, looking to get their season back on track following the disappointment of being dumped out of Europe last week.

 

An aggregate loss to Zenit St Petersburg last week put paid to the Reds' continental aspirations for another season - but, in the bigger picture, that might not be a bad thing, as, incredibly, after a disastrous start to the campaign, Brendan Rodger's side are still within touching distance of a top six finish.

Liverpool have had a full 10 days to pick themselves up from that Europa League knock out, and they will now be keen to focus their attentions domestically in an attempt to salvage something from this season.

 

A win for the Reds in this clash would pile the pressure on rivals Everton - who sit in sixth place in the table, three points ahead, and face struggling Reading at Goodison Park this afternoon.

 

Rodgers - whose side can ill afford to drop more points in their quest for the top six - will be eyeing this game as a must win, and the Reds are priced at a reasonable 1.85 to take three points here.

 

But recent history suggests that the Merseyside club will have their work cut out - as they have beaten Wigan just once in their last half a dozen Premier League meetings, winning one, drawing three and losing two.

 

The Latics go into this tie sitting just one place outside of the dropzone - on level points with Aston Villa - and, although Roberto Martinez' side looked comfortable in a 3-0 away win at Reading last week, it is their home form which has severely let them down this campaign.

 

A miserable run of seven games without a win at the DW Stadium stretches all the way back to November, and it is interesting to note that Martinez' side have not kept a clean sheet on their own patch all season - having conceded in 13 outings in front of their own fans.

 

Those defensive weaknesses are certainly something that their guests will be looking to target, and Liverpools eight goals scored in their last two games suggests that they are likely to notch at least one here.

 

Luis Suarez has been taking the plaudits on Merseyside of late, and he weighed in with two sparkling goals in the win over Zenit too - and of course, he is odds on in the First Goalscorer market, at 5.6.

 

The Uruguayan is just one of three players in Europe's top five leagues to fire in more than 100 shots this season, along with Messi and Ronaldo, and Latics keeper Ali Al-Habsi will know that he is likely to be in for a busy afternoon here.

 

It's worth noting that Al-Habsi has made six errors leading directly to goals this campaign - more than any other top tier keeper - and that raises the likelihood of Reds skipper Steven Gerrard breaking the deadlock with a trademark long-range effort at 9.8.

 

For the home side, all eyes will be on Ivorian striker Arouna Koné at 9.8, who has notched six in his last six for the Latics, and Liverpool will be pleased that Martin Skrtel has recovered from a niggling injury in time to attempt to nullify that goal threat.

 

But, historically, these games have not been a goal fest, and six of the least seven clashes between these two sides at the DW Stadium have ended under 2.5 goals - which is available at a tasty 2.3 ahead of this game.

 

Rodgers will be looking for some consistency over the last 11 games of the season, to keep his side in with a shout of securing that coveted top six spot - and Livepool have drawn more games away from home than any Premier League side this season, with six stalemates suggesting that they will look to see out a draw if things aren't going their way.

 

Wigan have won just one of their 14 clashes with sides in the top half of the division this season, losing 10, and they go into this game priced 4.6.

 

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