Lays of the Weekend: Travel-fond Reading to rile Wigan

Michael Lintorn
16 April 2014

Uwe Rosler's Wigan aren't yet certain of a play-off place

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Michael Lintorn has three top-seven sides in his sights this week in identifying possible Easter flops...

"Wigan have won only two of their last five at the DW Stadium, losing to drop zone-dwelling Millwall last time out and drawing with rock bottom Yeovil earlier in the sequence."
Lay Wigan to beat Reading @ 1.9720/21

Lay Wigan to beat Reading @ 1.9720/21
Wigan's initial Uwe Rosler-fuelled climb had already started to slack before the FA Cup semi-final shootout defeat to Arsenal, which stretched their lean spell to just one win in six in all competitions. The Latics have also won only two of their last five at the DW Stadium, losing to drop zone-dwelling Millwall last time out and drawing with rock bottom Yeovil earlier in the sequence. They haven't beaten a top-seven foe at home yet either, with this their last chance to remedy that. Reading adopt a hit-and-miss approach rather than streakiness, and most of the recent hits have come on the road, winning five in seven in a run that has claimed several high-profile victims, including QPR and Leeds.

Lay Bayern Munich (-1) to win at Braunschweig @ 2.226/5
As soon as Bayern Munich confirmed their Bundesliga triumph, they appeared to decide their work was done, trading in a run of 25 wins and two draws from their first 27 matches for a draw and two reverses in the three that have followed. While the champions lack an incentive, Braunschweig have it all to play for after a loss at Freiburg stalled their revival and left them three points from safety. Encouragingly, their current home form is magnificent, with three victories and two draws achieved in their last five Eintracht-Stadion outings, the latter two being 3-1 and 3-0 successes. They have faced seven top-half teams on their manor this term without once losing by more than one goal.

Lay Real Sociedad to beat Espanyol @ 1.84/5
The realisation that successive top-four finishes were going to elude Real Sociedad seems to have stalled their season - either that or activated a Europa League avoidance mission - with the Basque club delivering just two wins in eight, and each of those were 1-0 squeaks. Espanyol by contrast are plodding on efficiently but none too spectacularly, the only four defeats encountered in their last 11 games being inflicted by top-six heavies. Catalonia's second most famous side often enjoy the trip to Anoeta, keeping clean sheets on their last two visits and prevailing 1-0 in Sociedad's superb 2012/13 campaign. That was one of a mere two reverses that they endured in front of their fans throughout.