Premier League preview: Wigan v Manchester City

Wigan have the mammoth task of welcoming a fired-up Manchester City to the DW Stadium on Monday.

City have lost three of their past four matches in all competitions in a rare blot on their form line, but two of those losses came in cup competitions, meaning it was not influential on their hold on top spot in the Premier League.

City are three points clear of rivals Manchester United, but will be keen to get back to their best on the pitch if they are to regain some confidence heading into the latter part of the season.

Helping their cause will be the return of silky midfielder David Silva, who will come back into the matchday squad after recovering from an ankle injury sustained in their FA Cup loss to United.

“David did a bit of running yesterday and will do a bit more today,” assistant manager David Platt said on Friday.

“Hopefully he will be back on the training pitch tomorrow.”

Platt added that striker Mario Balotelli was still in doubt to recover from his ankle complaint, which he aggravated against Liverpool in their Carling Cup semi-final first-leg in midweek.

Roberto Martinez’s men have just three points from their past five league matches – but will take confidence from the fact that two of those points came from draws against big clubs Liverpool and Chelsea.

In promising news for Martinez, Spanish winger Albert Crusat is expected to return, while striker Callum McManaman could appear after scoring the opener in their 2-1 FA Cup loss to League Two outfit Swindon Town on Saturday.

Points are a commodity that Wigan will be keen to accumulate soon, as they are buried in the bottom five, some seven points from 15th-placed West Bromwich Albion.

While they are only two from safety, Martinez will not be rolling over for the star-studded league leaders, as they embark on a rescue mission of their season.