Just days after the derby, Wigan face a Wakefield side determined to avenge their Challenge Cup exit at the hands of the Warriors just over a week ago.
Wigan will be hurting after their 22-4 loss to St Helens which showed they still have work to do if they’re going to dethrone the Champions. Monday’s game however is a chance for them to get straight back onto the horse.
Wakefield will also be bruised after their good form was stopped dead in its tracks by a thumping defeat to rivals Castleford. A visit to Wigan isn’t what they need straight after that loss but a win would certainly give them a boost.
Team News:
Wigan will still have Sam Powell available despite his dangerous tackle against St Helens with the incident referred to tribunal and no bans coming into effect until after Easter Monday. However, there is a doubt over Thomas Leuluai who suffered a knee injury on Friday. Zak Hardaker should return after being dropped for the derby whilst Iain Thornley and Liam Marshall could still be injured.
Wakefield are the only side to have named a 21 man squad for Monday with the deadline being moved to 9am tomorrow morning. Their squad reveals that there will be no Tom Johnstone, Jordy Crowther or Jai Whitbread. Thomas Minns could be included as could the returning James Batchelor and Jacob Miller. There will be no David Fifita once again whilst Liam Hood also misses out.
Match Preview – Key Battles:
Jai Field vs Max Jowitt: Last time he faced Wakefield, Jai Field scored a hat-trick. A livewire, he’s up against an underrated fullback who is superb in defence and having played against Field recently could have the tools to nullify the flying fullback.
Patrick Mago vs Kelepi Tanginoa: A member of the 2020 Dream Team, Kelepi Tanginoa is one of the most dangerous and explosive forwards in Super League but he’ll be up against a force to be reckoned with in the shape of Patrick Mago. He’ll come off the bench and use his size and offloading ability to punch holes in Wakefield’s defence.
Where the game will be won and lost:
As we saw at Belle Vue, if you give Wigan even an inch of space they’ll score points at will. That’s why Trinity will have to ensure the likes of Field and French don’t have the opportunity to cause havoc. If they can restrict these two, Trinity have the abilities to pick apart the Warriors as the first half of the cup tie showed.
Score Prediction: Wigan Warriors 28-12 Wakefield Trinity
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