Two sides still involved in the relegation battle in League One face off at St James Park on Tuesday evening, as Exeter City host Wigan Athletic.
Both teams are currently outside the relegation zone, and have a little bit of a cushion between themselves and the relegation spots, but with limited games remaining, there is still work to be done for both teams to ensure survival.
Match preview
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Out of the two sides, Wigan are closest to the relegation zone, as they sit 19th in the table, though they do have a six-point advantage over Burton Albion in 21st.
The visitors picked up a valuable point at the weekend, as they drew 0-0 away to playoff contenders Leyton Orient.
The goalless draw was a positive result for the Latics, but they are still searching for their first win under new boss Ryan Lowe, who was brought in as Shaun Maloney‘s replacement last month.
Maloney left the club in 15th in the table, just six points above the relegation zone – and while Wigan have dropped four places in the standings since his departure, they are no closer to the relegation zone in points.
Glenn Whelan secured four points from two matches during his brief interim spell in charge of the club, which could prove the difference between staying up and going down at the end of the season.
With just three wins in their last 15 matches, it is not hugely surprising to see Wigan down at the wrong end of the table, though they had been hopeful that they could improve on their 12th-place finish of last season.
They will be looking to finish the campaign well under Lowe, and ensure that they are not playing in League Two next term, as they look to build some momentum ahead of next season.
One area that Lowe will certainly need to improve on is the club’s attack, with Wigan currently the lowest scorers in the division, having netted only 34 goals during the season.
The Latics have netted just twice in four matches so far under Lowe, so there have been no major signs of improvement on that front, and Wigan have failed to score in their past two games.
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They travel to an Exeter side that suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to promotion-chasing Stockport County at the weekend.
The Grecians lost only once in March, securing 10 points out of a possible 21 available last month.
That good run has proven to be crucial in their survival bid, as Exeter come into this match nine points clear of the drop zone, having entered March just three points clear of danger.
Though Gary Caldwell‘s men are not safe just yet, a win against the Latics would put them even further away from danger, whereas a Wigan victory would put the two clubs level on points with each other.
The two sides will be hoping for a better match than the reverse fixture earlier in the campaign, as they played out a goalless draw when they last met back in September at the Brick Community Stadium.
Team News
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The hosts could be without Brentford loanee Ryan Trevitt for the rest of the campaign, as he went off with a hamstring issue against Barnsley last week.
In more bad news for Caldwell’s side, Demetri Mitchell could also be out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
Meanwhile, Pierce Sweeney remains out for the season, and Ed Turns left Saturday’s defeat to Stockport with a nose injury.
Wigan’s Chris Sze is a doubt for this match, having missed their last two matches due to a knee issue.
Elsewhere, Ollie Norburn (calf) and Baba Adeeko are doubts for this clash, while Luke Chambers was an unused substitute against Leyton Orient following a recent injury.
In further blows for Lowe’s side, Tyrese Francois, Will Goodwin, Matt Smith, Silko Thomas and Dion Rankine are not expected to feature for the visitors.
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Whitworth; Niskanen, MacDonald, Hartridge, Harper; McMillan, Francis, Woods, Watts, Yogane; Magennis
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Tickle; Robinson, Aimson, Kerr, Carragher; S Smith, McHugh, Weir, J Smith; Dale, Taylor
We say: Exeter City 1-1 Wigan Athletic
Exeter hit a decent run of form last month that has really helped their survival hopes in League One, while the visitors are still getting used to life under their new boss.
We do not see a winner in this game, as they are both fairly evenly matched, and with little to separate the two teams in the standings, we are going with a 1-1 draw here.
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