Two League One teams in contrasting form lock horns at Brisbane Road on Saturday afternoon as Leyton Orient play host to Wigan Athletic.
February 1997 was the last time that these two teams squared off, with the Latics comfortably coming out on top 5-1 on home soil when the two sides were competing in the third tier.
Match preview
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After losing to Portsmouth and Oxford United in the EFL Trophy and League One respectively, Leyton Orient suffered their third successive defeat when they were beaten 1-0 at home to Lincoln City on Tuesday night – a rearranged match following the tragic passing of supporter Derek Reynolds at the original fixture last month.
The O's appeared to be on course to pick up a point in a closely-fought contest, but Ethan Hamilton netted a dramatic 89th-minute winner for Lincoln to condemn the hosts to their seventh league defeat of the season.
Richie Wellens vented his frustration after the match and labelled his side's performance as "one of the most disappointing" since taking charge of the club in March last year.
Orient have failed to win any of their last five League One games and have subsequently slipped down to 14th in the table, just four points above the drop zone and seven points adrift of the playoffs.
The O's will be looking to turn their fortunes around quickly as they prepare for their fifth successive home match this weekend, and Wellens is sure to be targeting improvements in the final third as his side have scored just eight league goals at Brisbane Road this term – only four teams have netted fewer home goal in League One.
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Wigan, meanwhile, have put together a strong run of form in recent months, winning seven and drawing one of their last nine games across all competitions.
The Latics extended their unbeaten run to four matches when they beat Tranmere Rovers 6-5 on penalties in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night following a goalless draw after 90 minutes.
Shaun Maloney's men – who received two four-point deductions earlier this season for financial irregularities – now shift their focus back to the third their where they currently sit 18th in the table, just two points above the bottom four.
Wigan were unable to claim maximum points in their last league match with Cheltenham Town, drawing 1-1 two weeks ago, but they will be motivated to return to winning ways on Saturday, as victory would see them climb above Leyton Orient before preparing for a run of three fixtures out of four against teams currently below them in the table.
The Latics have only won three of their nine League One away games so far this season, but they are unbeaten in each of their last four on the road in all competitions, keeping three clean sheets in the process.
Team News
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Leyton Orient will be without Jordan Graham, Adam Thompson, Dan Agyei and Omar Beckles due to injury, the former of whom is set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery earlier this month.
Max Sanders has featured as a substitute in the last two matches since recovering from injury, and the midfielder will be pushing for a start on Saturday, although he is unlikely to displace either Darren Pratley or Idris El Mizouni.
Ruel Sotiriou is Orient's top scorer so far this season with seven goals, and the Cypriot is set to continue in attack alongside Joe Pigott and either George Moncur or Aaron Drinan.
As for Wigan, goalkeeper Sam Tickle is set to recover from a knock sustained on England Under-21s duty to feature on Saturday, but defender Liam Morrison – on loan from Bayern Munich – is ruled out until mid-December after picking up a thigh injury with Scotland Under-21s this month.
Sean Clare is closing in on a return after three weeks out with a hip injury, while Thelo Aasgaard withdrew from the Norway Under-21s squad earlier this month due to injury and is a doubt for Saturday.
Maloney is expected to make several changes to the side that beat Tranmere in the EFL Trophy last time out, with the likes of Charlie Hughes, Matthew Smith, Jordan Jones, Callum Lang and Stephen Humphrys all set to return to the first XI.
Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:
Brynn; Cooper, Happe, Turns; James, Pratley, Mizouni, Archibald; Moncur, Piggot, Sotiriou
Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Tickle; Sessegnon, Hughes, Watts, Pearce; M. Smith, Shaw; Godo, Lang, Jones; Humphrys
We say: Leyton Orient 1-2 Wigan Athletic
Both teams will be keen to claim maximum points for different reasons on Saturday, with Leyton Orient hoping to end their losing streak while Wigan attempt to build on their solid run of form.
Although the Latics have struggled away from home in League One this term, we believe that they will do enough to come out on top against a struggling Orient outfit, especially with Maloney expected to recall a number of first-team regulars to his side.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Oliver Thomas
