Man Utd v Wigan

By Guy Mowbray
BBC Match of the Day commentator

Wigan’s Jordi Gomez is in fine form, having scored four goals in five games

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United defender Phil Jones should be available after it was revealed he did not suffer a broken cheekbone at Fulham.

But Ashley Young is going to be out for a few weeks with a knee problem.

Wigan will assess Steve Gohouri (flu) and striker Hugo Rodallega before deciding on their final squad.

Rodallega picked up an injury during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea and, despite playing against Liverpool in midweek, he was not fully fit.

MATCH PREVIEW

After the week these two have enjoyed, there should be a really nice feel to the Boxing Day atmosphere in Manchester M16 – at least before the match.

Manchester United have had a truly capital time pre-Christmas – brushing aside QPR and Fulham on their own grounds to stretch the longest current unbeaten run in the Premier League to eight games (seven wins, one draw). Extending that into 2012 is now absolutely vital for United to keep pace with neighbours City at the top, and is unconditionally expected with beleaguered Blackburn the visitors next Saturday.

It’s the last leg of a trio of blockbusters for Wigan, and two points on the board from games at home to Chelsea and Liverpool is already probably more than many thought they’d get from all of them.

The Latics’ chief objective will be to stop United scoring – but that’s something no away team has done at Old Trafford in two years and 39 league games, since Aston Villa won 1-0 in December 2009. To get anything from the game they’ll therefore probably have to score themselves – but that’s something they’ve only done four times in 13 matches against United over the years, with only one in six away games. It’s a good omen that the solitary goal came on Boxing Day (2006), outweighed by the fact that it was merely a consolation penalty struck by Leighton Baines in a 1-3 defeat.

That loss is the only one that Wigan have suffered in six Boxing Day games as a Premier League team. United have only lost one of 17, winning the last seven. If it doesn’t become eight I’d be more surprised by that than anything Santa delivers!

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Manchester United and Wigan have only met 13 times, and the Red Devils have won every match.
• Wigan have only scored four goals against United, who have racked up 41.
• The only goal Wigan have scored at Old Trafford came on Boxing Day in 2006, with Leighton Baines grabbing a late penalty in a 3-1 defeat.

Manchester United

• Manchester United have the joint-most Premier League clean sheets (8) with Swansea.
• Sir Alex Ferguson’s team have scored at least once in all 26 of their matches (all competitions) this season.
• They have only lost once at Old Trafford since April 2010.

Wigan

• Wigan are unbeaten in their last five games (W2, D3).
• The Latics have failed to score in six of their 17 matches.
• Wigan’s Jordi Gomez has scored four goals in his last five Premier League matches.