Wigan vs Arsenal Betting Tips

Arsenal travel to the JJB to tackle Wigan on Wednesday evening and the burning question for punters is what Arsenal team will turn up? Indeed, if it's the side that pushed Chelsea to the upper limits at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, then it'll be three points for Wenger's men. Conversely, if the Gunners that failed to fire and were beaten in their three previous away Premiership fixtures turn up, against Fulham, Bolton and West Ham respectively, then the southward team bus journey will be a sombre one. This very question is hard to answer. Naturally, Thierry Henry's absence and the injuries suffered by Tomas Rosicky and William Gallas have been anything but helpful. For some reason, Arsenal haven't seemed up for it when playing the smaller sides - those against whom they should be mopping up points - but when faced with one of the remaining 'big four' they excel. Arsenal beat Man Utd away, Liverpool at home and then gained that creditable draw against the reigning champs at the weekend, conceding just one goal in the three games in question. In their last two league fixtures on rival turf, the north London side's chances have been compromised by a tardy start. Sam Allardyce had clearly identified a weakness and his Bolton scored after just nine minutes when entertaining Arsenal at the Reebok, while Chris Coleman noticed the same chink in their armour, as a bright start for Fulham caught the Gunners off balance at Craven Cottage on November 29 when the home side struck after just six minutes. It's clearly a problem for Arsene Wenger's charges, that is that they are vulnerable in the early exchanges. This might have much to do with the lack of experience within the current squad, particularly in defence, albeit they did manage pretty well in the Chelsea game, against whom Wenger fielded the youngest defence in Premiership history. On a positive note for Arsenal's defence, Wigan have found goals hard to come by this season, possibly feeling the effects of Jason Roberts's departure to Blackburn. The Latics have netted just four times in their last five matches and overall they've managed an average of just 1.25 goals per game so far this season. Interestingly, the five meetings in history between these two clubs have produced an average of 2.6 goals per game, with Arsenal prevailing on four occasions, while Paul Jewel's men have won one of the quintet of clashes in question. Hopefully this match will produce a similar goal count, but for betting purposes I rate the 2/1 on offer with Coral about Robin van Persie in the anytime goalscorer market the best option. It's unlikely that Wenger will opt to play him wide in this match, as he did against Chelsea, and with Henry still sidelined, the young Dutch striker is Arsenal's most potent goalscoring threat, be it from open play or set-pieces. The most likely outcome is a victory for Arsenal, but that will ultimately depend on their concentration in the first quarter of this encounter. Verdict - 2pts Robin van Persie in the anytime goalscorer market @ 2/1 (Coral)