YEP Jury - 'Routine win' over Wigan required to help Leeds United banish the Good Friday blues

ANDY RHODES

After the rollercoaster of Tuesday night, Marcelo Bielsa and his players will be hoping for a more straightforward affair against struggling Wigan.

It was in this fixture last season when the wheels came off, but momentum may be on United’s side this time around.

Maintaining the intensity of the Millwall game will be vital to getting a result.

No team would be able to cope with the sheer volume of attacks United put together in the week.

Bielsa and Leeds will have undoubtedly learnt lessons from last season’s defeat to Wigan. At 1-0 up and with the Latics down to 10 men, perhaps Leeds got complacent, perhaps they thought the job was done.

Leeds shouldn’t make the same mistake twice and they definitely have the quality to win.

Patrick Bamford looked fired up after silencing his doubters on Tuesday, while Mateusz Klich looked like a world beater at times.

Play to that level and no side can match the Whites.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Wigan Athletic 0.

JACOB STARR

Wigan Athletic at home still haunts me from last season, as it was really the game that cost Leeds automatic promotion.

However, a Patrick Bamford brace helped the Whites to overturn a two-goal deficit on Tuesday to beat Millwall.

When the striker bagged his first, that was the first time a Leeds player had scored a goal since Stuart Dallas put the fourth in at Birmingham.

Since then we have been aided by two own goals.

United may now have left their poor run of form behind them, unlike West Bromwich Albion who lost at Cardiff, leaving Leeds two points clear at the top and four clear of third-placed Nottingham Forest who sprung a shock 1-0 win at Brentford.

New forward signings Ian Poveda and Jean-Kevin Augustin could also bring that extra boost needed to a squad that have been faltering in front of goal in recent weeks.

But they will most likely need a week or two before Marcelo Bielsa seriously considers starting them.

The astute acquisition of Augustin seemed to give Bamford a kick up the backside after his penalty miss at QPR, and he should be in confident mood when Paul Cook’s relegation-threatened side visits on Saturday.

Prediction: Leeds United 2 Wigan Athletic 1.

DAVID WATKINS

Has everyone calmed down after Tuesday? What a night! Three points in that one was vital for several reasons: stop any further reduction in that gap to third, restore confidence, and build some momentum.

Now it’s Wigan, and it’s every bit as vital. In fact, we have 17 of these cup finals left and each one could determine our fate.

It was Wigan who wrenched the wheels off our stuttering wagon last season, coming from behind with 10 men to win 2-1 as we missed a vital penalty.

They were fighting for their own cause then, stretching every sinew to avoid the drop and they are now in much the same situation. Their recent form is misleading; prior to beating Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday they’d lost three from four league games but all to decent sides – Forest, Bristol and Swansea. More significantly, they drew four on the trot prior to that, against Albion, Huddersfield, Blackburn and Derby.

They will be a tough nut to crack but we have the nut-crackers and, as long as we take more care defending those inevitable high balls, we should win.

Prediction: Leeds United 3 Wigan Athletic 1.

MATTHEW EVANS

It’s hard to overstate how important our second-half comeback was against Millwall on Tuesday night and it sets us up nicely for a home game in which we will be considered clear favourites.

Stretching back to the game against Fulham before Christmas, we have had tricky opponents and bogey grounds nearly every week.

However, as much as Wigan at home looks like a great chance for three points on paper, it brings back terrifying memories of Good Friday 2019 when United’s promotion challenge really did fall apart.

We need to be careful that those ghosts don’t come back to haunt us but we have reasons to be optimistic. We looked exceptional in the second half against Millwall and it does seem that a bit of confidence flows through the team like electricity and we can suddenly hit our best form very quickly.

We’ve also got the boost of two new signings who can come off the bench and change things if we’re struggling.

I’m backing Leeds for a big win.

Prediction: Leeds United 4 Wigan Athletic 1.

KEITH INGHAM

What can you say about the game against Millwall? Poor defending and even worse officiating handed the visitors a 2-0 lead in less than 25 minutes of the first half.

But Leeds to stormed back in the second half to win the game 3-2 with goals from Patrick Bamford (2) and Pablo Hernandez.

It’s worth more than a paragraph, myself and fellow juror David Watkins went through every emotion a fan can go through in 90 plus minutes. Dread, despair, hope and finally elation after Bamford’s headed winner. What a rollercoaster to take Leeds back to the top of the Championship.

After Tuesday’s thriller, Leeds host a team that ruined last Good Friday – Wigan Athletic.

United never really fully recovered from that 2-1 defeat and revenge must be on the menu tomorrow. We owe them one!

Leeds have already beaten Wigan earlier in the season with Patrick Bamford grabbing both goals in a superb 2-0 win at the DW Stadium.

Hopefully the striker, who grabbed another two on Tuesday, can add to his goals tally and further boost his confidence.

Wigan beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on the same night as Leeds’ thrilling win over Millwall, but it was their first win since they beat Birmingham City at St Andrews on New Years Day. No game is easy and this will test Leeds.

Wigan won’t be a pushover, as last season’s game at Elland Road proved.

That said, with their first win since the ‘thriller at St Andrews’ under their belts I’m pretty hopeful that Leeds can make it six points out of two games with a win at the weekend.

Leeds, earlier in the week, added to their squad by signing Jean-Kevin Augustin from RB Leipzig.

The striker is on loan for the remainder of the season and there is an option to buy him if Leeds win promotion.

The presence of another striker is a boost to fans who have been pretty vocal in their desire to see one signed by Leeds.

Prediction: Leeds Unitred 2 Wigan Athletic 0.

MIKE GILL

After their magnificent fight back against Millwall and the referee, United entertain lowly Wigan.

The Latics are fresh from their own success against the unpredictable Sheffield Wednesday. Nevertheless, they are fighting for their lives and need every point that they can lay their hands on.

Few people will forget the nightmare last season when Wigan played for the best part of the game with only 10 men and still managed to edge past the Whites in a miserable match.

This time around, things need to be different and a routine win with Leeds scoring first would go down very nicely.

Paul Cook continues to lead the Lancashire side’s struggle and Wigan will be no pushover.

However, there is a wave of positivity enveloping LS11 at the moment with Pablo Hernandez finding his form and Patrick Bamford finding the back of the net. Add the new signings and players returning from injury and we should be able to boast our strongest squad since the start of the season.

Prediction: Leeds United 3 Wigan Athletic 1.