Wrexham will look to put the disappointment of their League Two opening day defeat behind them as they host Wigan Athletic in the Carabao Cup first round. Neither team has looked solid defensively in the early stages of the season, so goals can be expected here.
It has been a fantastic year for Wrexham, who have been on a high since being taken over by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Racecourse Ground has regularly welcomed Hollywood A-listers in recent times while the high point of their year was gaining promotion to League Two.
However, their first taste of League Two action was an unpleasant one as they were beaten 5-3 at home by MK Dons. It was all downhill after going two goals down before 10 minutes and although Jacob Mendy, Jordan Davies and Anthony Forde made the score respectable, there was no way back into the encounter.
While a home defeat on the opening weekend was disappointing, manger Phil Parkinson still has plenty to build on as that was Wrexham’s first loss at the Racecourse Ground since May 2022. However, the five goals conceded highlights a problem that could haunt them during the season as they have kept only one clean sheet in their last five home matches.
Wigan Athletic travel to the Racecourse Ground on a high after beginning their League One campaign with a win. They claimed a 2-1 victory at Derby County on opening weekend with a goal in each half from Charles Wyke earning them the win.
Having looked slightly off colour during the early stages of preseason, Wigan Athletic appear to be finding their form at the right time. That was the second straight won for Shaun Maloney’s men, who picked up a 2-0 victory at League Two side Morecambe in their final warm-up match.
The result at Derby County highlights a fine record on the road for Wigan Athletic, who are unbeaten in their last five away matches. However, they appear slightly suspect at the back having kept just one clean sheet in the last four matches in that run.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Wrexham as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 10/11 by Paddy Power. A victory for Wigan Athletic is valued at 10/3 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 5/2 by Unibet.
Head to head
There have been just 10 previous matches between Wrexham and Wigan Athletic with both teams claiming three wins each and four draws. The last meeting was a League One clash in 2002 which ended 2-0 in favour of the Welsh side.
Players to watch
Wrexham are without injured striker Paul Mullin, although the three goals scored last Saturday suggests there may still be plenty of attacking quality left in the squad. Fellow striker Ollie Palmer could be given a start after coming off the bench last time out and is priced at 9/5 by William Hill to find the net on Tuesday.
Charles Wyke will be the one to watch for Wigan Athletic after beginning his campaign with a brace at Derby County. The striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 10/3 with William Hill.
Anything else catch the eye?
Wrexham and Wigan Athletic have some attacking quality and with neither side showing any defensive solidity lately goals can be expected here. There were over 4.5 goals in Wrexham’s previous fixture and a repeat is priced at 5/1 with BetVictor while over 3.5 goals is valued at 21/10 by BetVictor.
Both teams saw more goals after the break in their respective fixtures last Saturday and can be set for a similar pattern at evens with bet365.
This EFL Cup match between Wrexham and Wigan Athletic will be played on Aug 8, 2023 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Wrexham vs Wigan Athletic prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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