Wigan Warriors will look to move one step closer to winning the League Leaders' Shield in Super League when they welcome Wakefield Trinity to the Brick Community Stadium on Friday night.
The Cherry and Whites will get the chance to go top of the Super League table on 38 points with a victory, with title rivals Leeds Rhinos not in action until Sunday afternoon.
Schedulers will be patting themselves on the back as the Rhinos and Wigan are due to clash at the start of September and we have now reached that stage of the season where every single result is crucial.
Wakefield were in the title mix just a few weeks ago, but back-to-back defeats have derailed them and their injury crisis has come at the worst possible time ahead of another grudge match.
Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity Tips Summary
Best Bet - Wigan Warriors -18.5 @ 1/1
Alternative Bet - 1st-half handicap - Wakefield Trinity +8.5 @ 4/5
Bet Builder - Zach Eckersley to score two or more tries, Jai Field to score a try @ 9/2
Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity Prediction
Best Bet: Wigan Warriors -18.5 @ 1/1
Championship teams have a knack for finding their groove when it matters, and Wigan Warriors are the epitome of that. They have 12 wins to their name on the bounce and they have home advantage on their side this week.
In addition, Wakefield have hit a wall in the last two weeks and doubt will be starting to creep in. They played tremendously well against Leeds Rhinos before losing 24-22 and they were then crushed 16-46 by St Helens.
Daryl Powell's team produced their worst performance of the season last week and injuries are not helping them.
With the transfer window due to close this week, Trinity have signed Zac Lipowicz and Emre Guler, but it is a big ask to just ask them to come in and hit the ground running.
Wakefield are without star winger Tom Johnstone, Josh Rourke, Isaiah Vagana, Jazz Tevaga and Will Tate and their quality will be desperately missed.
Alternative Bet: 1st-half handicap - Wakefield Trinity +8.5 @ 4/5
Top teams are often able to find a quick response and Wakefield will be looking to do that after last weekend's dismal result against St Helens.
Wakefield's pack has been tested heavily in recent weeks and their starting forwards carry enough power to match Wigan.
Powell's team were actually beating St Helens 16-12 before they lost 46-16 and a similar outcome could happen here. While Wakefield may not be in front, they should be competitive.
Due to their injuries, it is in the second half that they should fall away, and Wigan's relentless defence will eventually grind them down.
Wigan Warriors v Wakefield Trinity Bet Builder Tip
Zach Eckersley to score two or more tries
Jai Field to score a try
Pays 9/2
Wigan should get some joy out wide this week and Zach Eckersley should benefit from more space due to Wakefield's injuries. He has scored five tries in his last three appearances against Wakefield and his recent form is impressive.
Eckersley has scored 24 tries so far this season and eight of those have come in his last five outings.
He is bang in form and looks good value to grab a couple more tries this week. Team-mate Jai Field is just as deadly and while he has scored 10 tries fewer than Eckersley, he remains one of the best support players in the league.
Once Wakefield's forwards start to tire and make mistakes, Field will be on hand to punish them from full-back.
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Key Match Stats
Wigan Warriors have won 12 games in a row in Super League
Wigan have won seven in succession at home
Wakefield Trinity have lost back-to-back games in Super League
Wakefield have won five matches in a row away from home
Wigan have won their last 10 home games against Wakefield
Wigan's Zach Eckersley has scored five tries in his last three games against Wakefield
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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.
