Thomas a doubt for Latics
Posted Sunday, April 18, 2010 by PA
Hendry Thomas is Wigan manager Roberto Martinez's only doubt ahead of Sunday's Barclays Premier League fixture with Arsenal at the DW Stadium.
Thomas has missed the last two matches with a quad injury and is again rated as 50-50, although Martinez does not have high hopes he will figure.
Defender Gary Caldwell completes a three-match suspension, leaving Martinez with an otherwise full squad to choose from.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is still expecting to face a "fiery Arsenal" side despite Arsene Wenger pouring cold water on his team's title hopes.
The Gunners' 2-1 defeat to bitter rivals Tottenham on Wednesday left Wenger admitting there was "too much to do" in the fight for a championship he added they were "unlikely now to win."
However, Martinez has warned his players to take such remarks with a pinch of salt as he feels they are unlikely to have thrown in the towel ahead of their visit to the DW Stadium.
"It's very adventurous to say they are out of the title picture at this time and I don't think so," said Martinez.
"After their result against Spurs there will naturally have been disappointment, but there are still a lot of points to play for and anything can happen.
"With the experience and quality they have, they're going to go into their remaining games looking to win all the points because it's fair to say Chelsea and Manchester United have harder run-ins.
"So I'm expecting a fiery Arsenal side, one looking to put right the result after what happened on Wednesday.
"From an individual and collective point of view they are going to be as stylish as you will ever see them, a team who can really hurt you from many positions."
On paper it appears an away banker as Wigan have never beaten the Gunners in the league since their promotion to the top flight in 2006, a run of eight defeats and a draw.
Yet the Latics had never previously beaten Chelsea and Liverpool either until this season, but defeated the Blues 3-1 in September and the Reds 1-0 early last month.
Victory would complete a stunning hat-trick of successes against three of the big four and significantly ease Wigan's relegation fears.
"In beating Liverpool and Chelsea this season we have overcome a mental block and we now believe we can beat any of the top four sides," Martinez added.
"It's knowing how to hurt sides like that and we know we can hurt teams from open play. We're a real threat in that area.
"So overall, the experiences we had in those games are really going to help us towards being competitive.
"It's quite clear we need another result like those, which means we need to be brave, as we have been on many occasions this season.
"Our approach has always been to try and win the game, and it will be exactly the same on Sunday.
"We're capable, we've the talent in the squad, and we understand what is now required to beat a top-four team."
Arsenal central defender Thomas Vermaelen will miss out at Wigan after he was ruled out for the season with the calf strain he suffered against Tottenham and Alex Song remains sidelined with a knee injury.
Andrey Arshavin is recovering from his calf injury and has a chance of being fit to face Manchester City next week.
Robin van Persie could start if he recovers from tight muscles following his return after five months out against Tottenham.
While Wenger concedes title ambitions are no longer realistic, he maintains it is important to lift morale and refocus on winning the major trophies next season.
He said: "Overall this team has gained a lot of credit and done extremely well so it is important that we do not get a negative vibe now.
"Our season will be judged on how well we finish and that is why we play a vital game on Sunday.
"I felt this year I must win a trophy and we were very close. It will be a decisive year next year for this team, that is for sure.
"The future of our team lies in how well we can respond to big disappointments and there's a good opportunity on Sunday to show that."
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