Wigan Athletic v Manchester United, Premier League: Preview and Teams

Sir Alex Ferguson takes his men to DW Stadium on New Year's Day, as Manchester United face Wigan Athletic for Tuesday's midweek Premier League fixture.

Where to Watch

Kick-off is set for 3 pm GMT. Live radio commentary will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live. Catch highlights on Match of the Day, on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.25 pm GMT.

Overview

Wigan enter the midweek fixture after a morale-boosting 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Saturday. The three points from Villa Park ensured Roberto Martinez starts 2013 out of the relegation zone; the Latics are 16th with 18 points.

Martinez has seen his side lose five of 10 league games at the DW Stadium this season; the last time Wigan won at home (or anywhere, for that matter) was in late November, when they beat Reading 3-2. Worse still, Wigan have lost three of the last four games and Martinez will be desperate to carry as much momentum for the win at Villa Park as possible.

Unfortunately for the struggling club, United are on a near-impeccable run of form, with 16 wins from 20 Premier League fixtures this season and seven wins from 10 away games. The Red Devils beat West Brom 2-0 at Old Trafford on Saturday and have not lost a game since the 1-0 defeat to Romanian side CFR Cluj in the Champions League group stage in early December. More importantly, closer to home the club have been unbeaten since 17 November, when Norwich City shocked them 1-0 at Carrow Road.

The only good news for Martinez is Wigan beat United in this fixture last year, with the Latics registering a 1-0 win in April.

Team Form

Wigan Athletic

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W L L L D
• Last Result: Aston Villa 0 - 3 Wigan Athletic

Manchester United

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W D W W
• Last Result: Manchester United 2 - 0 West Bromwich Albion

Team News

Wigan have no new injury concerns after the trip to the Midlands but the Spanish duo of Albert Crusat and Piscu and midfielder Ben Watson remain sidelined. Japanese winger Ryo Miyachi is also unavailable. Central defender Antolin Alcaraz is struggling to recover from a groin injury and while there is a chance he may be fit for the game, it is not expected. Martinez is likely to name an unchanged squad from the weekend.

Probable Line-Up: Al Habsi; Caldwell, Ramis, Figueroa; Boyce, McCarthy, Jones, Beausejour; Maloney; Kone, Di Santo

United will hope welcome Phil Jones back to the squad; the youngster received a few bruises in the match against Swansea City but is likely to earn at least a place on the bench. Meanwhile, England striker Wayne Rooney remains unavailable, as does Brazil midfielder Anderson. The latter's compatriot, right back Rafael, faces a late test to determine his condition. The only other absentee for Ferguson will be Portuguese winger Nani, who has a hamstring injury and is unlikely to return before mid-January. The big news for United fans is the possibilty of veteran central defensive pair Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic starting together.

Probable Line-Up: De Gea; Rafael, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra; Valencia, Scholes, Cleverley, Young; Welbeck, van Persie