Source: Manchester_EveningNews
Wigan v United: Preview
NEMANJA Vidic is set to make his first appearance of the season for Manchester United in the Barclays Premier League match at Wigan. Vidic suffered an ankle injury during the warm-up to a pre-season game in Munich last month but has trained without a problem for the last 10 days and will take his place in a central defence that will miss Rio Ferdinand (thigh) for another three to four weeks. Gary Neville could also be involved from the start at the DW Stadium, although most attention will be focused on Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen, who are both still searching for their first goals of the current campaign. Wigan supremo Dave Whelan has backed United to bounce back after their shock defeat at Burnley - but not against his club. Whelan has no doubt that Reds manager Sir Alex Ferguson will overcome the critics and lead the Old Trafford outfit to another Premier League title challenge. He said: "Sir Alex gets its right all the time. He's one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. "And if I was a United fan, I would be hoping that he will be around for another four or five years. Make your prediction for the weekend in our M.E.N predictor league here "When United come to Wigan it's exciting. They're a great club I've got a lot of friends there, including Sir Bobby Charlton, and the whole club is just wonderful. We welcome them to our place tomorrow - and hopefully we can do to them what Burnley did." Assistant boss Mike Phelan admitted he was disappointed that the Reds had not found the net in the defeat to newly-promoted Burnley on Wednesday night. "We were disappointing in front of goal that is for sure," he said. "We had a lot of possession but didn't really create anything. Their goalkeeper only made three saves in the entire game, which is not enough. We should have done a lot better and it is something we have to correct - and correct quickly." Ecuadorian winger Antonio Valencia could be back in the starting line-up for a visit to his old stomping ground after settling for a place on the bench at Turf Moor. Wigan winger Charles N?Zogbia, meanwhile, is rated at 50-50 to be fit forthe game. The Frenchman sustained an ankle injury in last weekend?s victory over Aston Villa, but was deemed fit enough to take part in Tuesday?s home defeat to Wolves.However, the injury has not improved and he is a doubt for the United clash. Wigan Athletic (from): Kirkland, Melchiot, Figueroa, Edman, Boyce, Bramble, Thomas, Scharner, Brown, N?Zogbia, Koumas, Watson, Cho, Gomez, Sinclair, Scotland, King, McCarthy, Rodallega, Pollitt. Manchester United (from): Foster, Kuszczak, O?Shea, Neville, Brown, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Fabio, Valencia, Park, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Scholes, Carrick, Gibson, Nani, Rooney, Berbatov, Owen, Macheda, Welbeck. Key opponent: Titus Bramble - Had found his form again, but Reds need to put him under pressure Prediction: Wigan 0 United 1 - A tough looking game for United after Wednesday, but they usually bounce back well Agree with the prediction? Have your say. Make your prediction for the weekend in our M.E.N predictor league here Click here for all the latest odds from Betfred. [LNB]
