Wigan Warriors have been going through the gears in recent weeks as they mount their play-off charge with just nine games remaining of the Super League regular season.
The Warriors have won seven straight matches in Super League and one of those was a 16-14 success over Saints at Magic Weekend on 5th July.
Wigan have won six of their last seven meetings with their old foes and this will be the fourth meeting this season after they also met in the Challenge Cup.
It's two wins for Wigan and one for St Helens in their 2026 match-ups but the Warriors look the best bet to come out on top again this Friday.
This match always looked like being a challenge for Saints to win but things got decidedly worse on Thursday when head coach Paul Rowley left the club after less than a year in charge.
Wigan Warriors v St Helens Tips Summary
Best Bet - Wigan -20.5 @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - Under 1.5 St Helens tries @ 13/10
Bet Builder - Wigan -3.5 total tries, Zach Eckersley to score two or more tries & Bevan French to score a try @ 17/2
Wigan Warriors v St Helens Prediction
Best Bet: Wigan -20.5 @ 1/1
Wigan are asked to cover a 20.5-point handicap in this encounter and normally that would look a tad on the big side when recent results are taken into account.
But given the turmoil St Helens find themselves in following the departure of head coach Paul Rowley and the Warriors' recent form, backing the home side to overcome such a deficit looks well within reach.
Wigan have won their last seven matches but none has been by more than 14 points, even last week's 24-10 victory at bottom side Huddersfield, and only two of St Helens' last five visits to the Brick Community Stadium have yielded a defeat by more than that mark.
However, St Helens are wildly inconsistent and were hammered 46-0 by Toulouse at home on 12th July but they responded last Friday with a 34-18 win over Catalans Dragons.
It's hard to have much faith in the Red V getting anything out of Wigan and things could get messy if the home side quickly gets on top.
Four of the past five meetings have been settled by margins of 14 points or fewer but this could be one occasion when a wide-margin win is achieved.
Alternative Bet: Under 1.5 St Helens tries @ 13/10
St Helens have scored just two tries across their last two meetings with Wigan and they may be limited to just one score on Friday.
This contest always looked like being a tough one for the injury-hit Saints but their situation got even worse on the eve of this fixture when head coach Paul Rowley left his position.
Eamon O'Carroll will take charge of the first team for this fixture but it's dreadful preparation for a game of such magnitude and it could harm St Helens' chances of reaching the play-offs.
O'Carroll will aim for a siege mentality on this trip to the Brick but it's hard to see them holding out for too long and Wigan will want to add salt into Saints' wounds.
A comprehensive home win is now expected and it's hard to see St Helens troubling their bitter rivals.
Wigan have limited Saint to two tries or fewer in three of the last four meetings so backing St Helens to score just one try could pay off.
Wigan Warriors v St Helens Bet Builder Tip
- Wigan -3.5 total tries
- Zach Eckersley to score two or more tries
- Bevan French to score a try
Pays 17/2
A comprehensive Wigan win is expected, so backing the home side to score at least four more tries than St Helens looks a good opening bet for a three-leg bet builder which pays out at 17/2.
Saints have scored just two tries across their last two meetings with Wigan and Zach Eckersley should be backed to continue his red-hot form with at least two more tries.
Eckersley has scored 19 tries for the Cherry & Whites this season and he bagged a hat-trick in last week's win over Huddersfield.
Don't rule out a try for Bevan French either.
Wigan's talisman is set to make his return from injury and he can make up for lost time by getting on the scoresheet too.
Learn more about how Bet Builders work in our Bet Builder guide.
Key Match Stats
- Wigan have won six of their last seven meetings with St Helens
- Four of the past five meetings have been settled by margins of 14 points or fewer
- Wigan won 16-14 when these two last met on 5th July
- The Warriors beat St Helens 32-0 in Challenge Cup semi-finals
- Wigan winger Zach Eckersley has scored 19 tries this season
Read more rugby league betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
