Filed under: West Ham, Wigan, Football, Match Previews
PREMIER LEAGUE: DW STADIUM, SUNDAY MAY 15, 2011. KICK-OFF: 1600 BSTForget the FA Cup Final.
This is the biggest match of the weekend as next-to-bottom host bottom-of-the-table with 180 minutes of the season remaining.
At least Saturday's Wembley losers return home with runners-up medals and a head full of memories.
The losers at the DW Stadium are heading for relegation and a summer of pain as they prepare for life in the Championship.
It is a £40 million showdown, the price reflecting the revenue Wigan or West Ham stand to lose if they fail to stay up.
Wigan's biggest crowd of the season will be hoping Roberto Martinez's team have saved the best for last after another long season of struggle.
Martinez believes he is on the cusp of something special - if his side can hold their nerve and climb out of the bottom three.
They face a West Ham side who are in an even more desperate situation than themselves.
Anything other than a win and Avram Grant's side can start planning for trips to Brighton, Doncaster, and Barnsley next season.
It really does not get any more exciting than this unless, that is, you are a fan of either club.
Form Guide: No wonder the alarm bells are ringing at Upton Park. West Ham have forgotten how to win. It is seven matches and two months since they experienced the joy of three points. Wigan are unbeaten in three at home.
Odds: Wigan 6/5, West Ham 5/2, Draw 5/2
WIGAN:
Martinez has urged his players to hold their nerve after labelling the match a key moment in the club's history.
"We are confident and well aware of what we are fighting for," said the Spaniard.
"From the outside these are two massive games but unfortunately we have been in this position the whole season.
"This is a key moment in our history - a big game.
"In every game we go into we have had a real need to perform and get points because of the position we have in the table.
"We have been playing catch-up for the whole of the season. This is an opportunity to get the rewards for all our hard work. These are two cup finals for us and we have to get the points.
"We need to understand who we are playing against. It would be a big mistake to play the occasion rather than the game.
"West Ham are also in need of points and we will need to be very careful.
"It hurts me to hear that people are disrespectful towards West Ham because they can beat anyone on their day and could really hurt us.
"It will be a very open game because we both have to win.
"It will be a fascinating game with a clear attitude of winning the game."
Strategy: Wigan have the quality to send West Ham down. But is a huge game for young heads like James McCarthy, Tom Cleverley and Victor Moses although all three have proved they can handle the big occasion. Patience will be key.
Injury Update: Midfielder Mohamed Diame will undergo a fitness test on a groin strain which ruled him out of last week's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/05/14/wigan-v-west-ham-preview-defeat-and-avram-grants-hammers-are-d/
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