Castleford v Wigan: Predicted line-ups and late injury news

With just four games to go, this battle between two teams inside the top six could be the biggest match in both their seasons. The Tigers have won four on the bounce as they climb the table whilst Wigan have struggled in recent weeks failing to score a try in the last 204 in-game minutes.

Despite their recent winning formula, I can see Daryl Powell making one or two changes for this one. Of course, there’ll be a forced change thanks to the absence of Paul McShane. His injury means Adam Milner will move to hooker from the interchanges whilst I believe Tyla Hepi will be drafted onto the bench to replace him thanks to his versatility. Meanwhile, I can see Oliver Holmes returning to the starting XIII after beginning the win at Hull on the bench. Michael Shenton is also back in contention but will Powell want to change his effective left edge? I don’t think so, however Shenton offers great leadership that they may need in McShane’s absence. Thus, I can see the Cas skipper being given a place on the bench.

As for Wigan, I can see Adrian Lam again doing something different after starting Jai Field at fullback against Leeds. This week, Lam may return Zak Hardaker to the number one slot whilst potentially bringing in young winger Sam Halsall to give the Wigan backline more of a natural look. This means Jai Field could drop to the bench owing to his ability to offer Wigan something different late in the game.

Castleford
1 Niall Evalds
2 Derrell Olpherts
3 Peter Mata’utia
25 Jordan Turner
23 Greg Eden
31 Gareth O’Brien
7 Danny Richardson
15 George Griffin
13 Adam Milner
22 Daniel Smith
11 Oliver Holmes
21 Jesse Sene-Lefao
14 Nathan Massey
Substitutes
4 Michael Shenton
8 Liam Watts
10 Grant Millington
19 Tyla Hepi

Wigan
3 Zak Hardaker
28 Sam Halsall
22 Jake Bibby
4 Oliver Gildart
5 Liam Marshall
20 Harry Smith
31 Jackson Hastings
8 Brad Singleton
25 Joe Shorrocks
14 Ollie Partington
12 Liam Farrell
13 John Bateman
15 Morgan Smithies
Substitutes
6 Jai Field
19 Liam Byrne
21 Ethan Havard
27 Kai Pearce-Paul