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A new English League One season will commence this weekend, with Sunderland hosting Wigan Athletic at the Stadium of Light.
The home side will be looking to build on their fourth-place finish last season and are one of the favorites for promotion to the EFL Championship. Wigan Athletic finished their last campaign in 20th spot and will be aiming for a much better sojourn this time around.
Sunderland come into the game in fine form, having not lost any of their five pre-season fixtures. Their most recent game was a 2-1 victory over League One champions Hull City.
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Ross Stewart and Will Grigg scored in each half to give the Black Cats the victory.
Wigan Athletic won all four of their pre-season friendlies and ended their preparations for the new season with a 3-2 victory over Championship side Preston North End.
Sunderland vs Wigan Athletic Head-to-Head
The two sides have clashed on 21 previous occasions and Wigan Athletic have a marginally better record.
The Lactics have nine wins to their name, while Sunderland were victorious on seven occasions; the same number of draws that the sides have shared.
Their most recent meeting came in April when goals from Will Keane and Callum Lang gave Wigan a 2-1 victory on home turf last season.
Sunderland form guide (pre-season friendlies): W-D-W-D-D
Wigan Athletic form guide (pre-season friendlies): W-W-W-W
Sunderland vs Wigan Athletic Team News
Sunderland
Defender Arbenit Xhemajli is still sidelined with a long-term cruciate ligament rupture. There are no suspension worries for the home side.
Injury: Arbenit Xhemajli
Suspension: None
Wigan Athletic
There are no known injuries or suspension worries for the visitors.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Sunderland vs Wigan Athletic Predicted XI
Sunderland Predicted XI (4-3-3): Lee Burge (GK); Denver Hume, Bailey Wright, Tom Flanagan, Luke O'Nien; Carl Winchester, Elliot Embleton, Alex Pritchard; Aiden McGeady, Lynden Gooch, Benjamin Mbunga
Wigan Athletic Predicted XI (4-3-3): Ben Amos (GK); Tom Pearce, James Carragher, Adam Long, Tendayi Darikwa; Tom Naylor, Jordan Cousins, Thelo Asgaard; Solomon Otabor, Will Keane, Joe Dodoo
Sunderland vs Wigan Athletic Prediction
Sunderland are slight favorites for the game but Wigan Athletic have made some notable acquisitions and could pose a threat if given the opportunity.
Both sides' strong pre-season runs would have boosted confidence in both camps, but we are predicting the home side will narrowly secure the win in a cagey encounter.
Prediction: Sunderland 1-0 Wigan Athletic
