Wigan vs. Fulham: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Wigan have largely struggled in League One this season, while Fulham are having an excellent Premier League campaign, so it's hard to see the Cottagers coming up short here. Even with a heavily rotated team, Fulham should have far too much quality for Wigan and should win fairly comfortably. Wigan 0-2 Fulham.

Wigan Athletic are hoping to be the giant killers of the FA Cup fourth round as they lock horns with Premier League side Fulham.

• Date: 08/02/2025
• Kick-off time: 15:00
• Location: Brick Community Stadium, Wigan

Wigan Athletic are currently 16th in League One with 34 points from 28 games. The Latics are having a fairly poor campaign on the whole and their fans will be looking to the team to give them something to shout about in this competition.

Wigan were weakened significantly just a couple of weeks ago when Luton Town swooped in for midfielder Thelo Aasgaard. Aasgaard has been a standout performer for Wigan for a while now, and his talents will be extremely difficult for the team to replace.

Wigan are perhaps the most famous winner of this competition, at least in recent times, as the Latics overcame Manchester City in the 2012-13 final to win their first-ever major trophy - in the same season they were relegated from the Premier League. The Latics reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup in the season following their FA Cup win, but since then, the furthest they’ve progressed is the sixth round in 2017/18, and since then, they haven’t gone beyond the fourth round.

A home game against a Premier League side is a huge tie for Wigan and is something for their fans to get excited about in a season where they’ve had little to shout about. They’re the firm underdogs, but that won’t dampen the occasion.

Fulham are coming into this game sitting 9th in the Premier League with 36 points from 24 games. The Cottagers are having an excellent season under Marco Silva, and are one of the league’s overperforming teams. Few expected Fulham to be in contention for a European spot this season, but they’re an outstandingly efficient unit under Silva and really play to their strengths.

Having conceded just 32 goals, the Cottagers are one of the better defensive teams in this league and having taken points from games against Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Newcastle this season, they’ve proven they’re a very capable side in big games.

That, then, should be a huge motivator for them to throw everything at trying to progress as far as possible in this competition. Fulham are in no danger of relegation and while they are in the mix for European football, they’ve never won a major trophy in their history. Fulham reaching the final of this competition would be far from a major surprise given how well they compete against the best sides in the Premier League, so they should be looking at this season’s tournament as a major opportunity.

The Cottagers’ record in this competition has largely been very poor, as aside from a quarter-final run in 2022-23, they haven’t gone beyond the fifth round since 2009/10. Having been knocked out in the fourth round last season, they have an opportunity to better that showing this weekend, and they’re highly likely to do that.

This game will not be televised live in the UK, but full radio coverage will be provided by BBC Radio Manchester.

Wigan Team News:

Wigan are coming into this game with midfielder Silko Thomas a major doubt after he came off against Lincoln after just 25 minutes at the weekend.

In his absence, Joseph Hungbo is the leading contender to deputise on the left.

Predicted lineup: Tickle; Sibbick, Carragher, Kerr, Mellish; McHugh, S. Smith; J. Smith, Weir, Hungbo; Taylor.

Fulham Team News:

The Cottagers come into this game without the injured Reiss Nelson and Kenny Tete, with the pair not due back until later this month.

Fulham will likely make changes for this game, with Ryan Sessegnon, Josh King, Tom Cairney, Andreas Pereira and Rodrigo Muniz all likely to come into the starting lineup:

Predicted lineup: Benda; Godo, Diop, Bassey, Sessegnon; King, Reed; Pereira, Cairney, Adama; Muniz.

Wigan:

Wigan's form is mixed, with the Latics having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five games. Last time out, Wigan were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Lincoln City, where Jonathan Smith's first-half goal was cancelled out with just two minutes left.

Before that, Wigan were beaten 1-0 by Peterborough, which came after a 2-0 win over Bristol Rovers, where James Carragher and Smith scored the goals, a 1-2 defeat to Burton Albion and a 2-1 win at Stevenage, courtesy of Dale Taylor and Thelo Aasgaard.

Fulham:

Fulham are in decent form, with the Cottagers having won three and lost two of their last five games. Most recently, Fulham claimed an excellent 2-1 win away at Newcastle, where despite falling 1-0 down, goals from Raúl Jiménez and Rodrigo Muniz secured the points.

Prior to that, Fulham lost 0-1 to Manchester United, which was preceded by a 0-2 win over Leicester City, which came via goals from Emile Smith-Rowe and Adama Traoré, a 3-2 loss to West Ham and a 4-1 win over Watford in the FA Cup, where Muniz, Jiménez, Joachim Andersen and Timothy Castagne scored the goals.

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