Next Sunday’s relegation clash between Wigan and West Ham has been compared to a cup final by Wigan boss Roberto Martinez.
The Hammers sit at the bottom of the table after what has been a dismal season for the club by all accounts. Wigan sit just three points above the struggling club, and with just two games left to play, the game will be a hard fought showdown between two clubs earmarked for relegation next season.
The Latics scraped a point yesterday as they drew 1-1 with Aston Villa. A stunning goal by striker Charles N’Zogbia gave Wigan the lead before Ashley Young managed an equaliser in the match yesterday at Villa Park.
The Wigan boss was pleased with the performance, saying, “Overall, coming away from home we wanted to win and we always want to win and I think we showed that.”
“I’m extremely pleased with the performance. The points are coming very slowly but it’s fair to say the least we were going to get at Villa was a point.”
Martinez showed respect for the West Ham side his team will take on next week, saying “They have a great tradition and they’ll be ready for that game. It is a final within a league competition.”
Both teams have struggled all season in the Premier League, and have spent most of their time either in or around the relegation zone. Relegation would be devastating for either club after spending a lot of time in the top flight. The stats do not look good for relegated teams either, with none of the clubs relegated last season looking at achieving promotion back to the Premier League after this season’s Championship campaign. Hull, Burnley and Portsmouth were all relegated last season, with none of the three clubs currently sitting any higher than 8th place, putting them out of the play off positions for promotion next season.
