When Alexqq Neil arrived at the bet365 Stadium at the end of August, he was expected to get the most out of a talented squad with a place in the playoffs their target.
However, the Scot has recorded just three wins from 11 matches, suffering defeats in the last three to leave the Potters close to the drop zone.
Although Stoke currently occupy 19th spot, they are just five points clear of bottom-placed West Bromwich Albion, a consequence of losing 3-1 at Norwich City at the weekend.
The only plus from the trip to East Anglia was Nick Powell, who has recently returned from injury, scoring Stoke’s first goal in 294 minutes during the closing stages of the game.
The Staffordshire outfit now face a quartet of fixtures against teams currently no higher than ninth in the division, and Neil will appreciate that he can ill-afford more defeats at this stage of his reign.
Interestingly, Stoke can claim to be in better form than their hosts, who have lost four games in a row and suffered six defeats in seven contests.
Wigan have quickly gone from fringe contenders for the playoffs to candidates for relegation, and Leam Richardsonknows that Wednesday’s clash is their most important of the season to date.
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After losing to a late Watford goal at the weekend, the Latics now possess the worst home record in the division, collecting just six points from nine matches.
Furthermore, just six strikes have been netted at the DW Stadium, and there is an urgency to improve that record at a time when 14 goals have been conceded in seven outings.
Wigan will be without Graeme Shinnie after the midfielder collected his fifth yellow card of the season at the weekend.Tom Naylor appears most likely to be drafted into the midfield in his place, while Josh Magennis is pushing for a recall in attack.Thelo Aasgaard is an option in a creative role if Richardson wants to add more creativity to his midfield.
