Gillingham will travel to Wigan Athletic on Saturday with the aim of picking up their first points of the season.
Steve Evans’ side lost 2-0 to Hull City on the opening weekend, a result Wigan mirrored a day later on Sunday, falling 2-0 to Ipswich Town.
At least one side will get on the board this weekend, but it won't be an easy outing for either team.
Team news
Wigan could hand debuts to recent signings Tom James and Nathan Cameron after the duo joined the club earlier this week, whilst Danny Fox could also feature.
The Latics will though be without Josh Clarke and Gavin Massey, who are both sidelined through injury.
Gillingham will be without vice-captain Stuart O’Keefe after the midfielder broke his leg against Coventry in the week. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, Stuart.
— Gillingham FC (@TheGillsFC) September 15, 2020
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Club captain Kyle Dempsey will also miss five to six weeks with an ankle injury, leaving just 18 fit first team players for Gills boss Steve Evans to choose from. New signing Josh Eccles could make his debut.
Predicted lineups
Wigan (4-2-3-1): Jones; James, Cameron, Long, Pearce; Evans, Merrie; Solomon-Otabor, Roberts, Gardner; Garner.
Gillingham (4-2-3-1): Bonham; Jackson, Maghoma, Medley, Ogilvie; Willock, Roberton; Graham, Mellis, Coyle; Oliver.
Form guide
Although Wigan have bigger problems with numerous off-the-pitch issues, they lost their first two games of the season. The succumbed to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Fleetwood Town in the first round of the Carabao Cup before losing 2-0 to Ipswich in their first game of the league season, but will be hoping to improve here.
Gillingham lost their opening league game 2-0 to a strong Hull City side but have won all three of their cup games so far this year. In their last game, Steve Evans’ team beat Championship Coventry City on penalties in the second round of the Carabao Cup – a win which will give them confidence going into this one.
Ones to watch
Joe Garner is the man to watch in Wigan’s side. The 32-year-old is a renowned goal scorer at League One level and has bags of experience. He will lead the line and be an important member, not just because of his skillset but because of his leadership skills in a young side.
Vadaine Oliver proved to be a real handful for Coventry’s defence on Tuesday and will almost certainly get the nod to lead the line for Gillingham here. The big forward won the late penalty which led to Jordan Graham’s equaliser and is starting to gel with the men supporting him.
Graham himself will be a handful. After getting off the mark on Tuesday, the wide man will be hungry for more goals, and he is integral to this Gillingham side.
Previous meetings
The last time the two teams met was in February of 2018 where Wigan ran out comfortable 2-0 victors on their way to winning the League One title.
There is history between the two sides from Gillingham’s point of view though – they defeated the Latics 3-2 at Wembley Stadium to gain promotion to the second tier for the first time in 2000, but they let a 2-0 lead slip to a 3-2 defeat back in 2016 live on Sky – a loss that derailed their season and promotion ambitions that year.
In total, the teams have crossed paths 36 times in history, with Wigan winning 15 to Gillingham’s 14. There have also been seven draws.
How to watch
The game will not be broadcast on TV in the UK, but an iFollow pass can be purchased for £10 on either club’s website.
Kick off is at 15:00 BST.
What the managers have said
Wigan manager John Sheridan was trying to focus on football when talking to the press in the week.
He said: “It is difficult for everyone, but we cannot keep talking [about off the field issues], I want to talk about the football and how we are going to win games and get better.
“I have to try and stay focused and do my job and that is to try and get a winning team together.
“We have to try and get a good blend of players out on the pitch to be competitive because I definitely think we can have a successful season in this league.”
Gillingham manager Steve Evans was wary of the task at hand when talking to the club website:
He said: “I went to watch Wigan last week and it was a very impressive performance.
“I do not think Wigan are in danger whatsoever, but for the sake of that football club and for the sake of football they just need to get sorted out. But that is not my business – my business is to go there and get a positive result.
“I know they have one or two younger players, but it is still a very impressive 14/15 players.”