Wigan v Swansea Preview: All Eyes on Roberto Martinez as He Faces Old Pals

Posted Tuesday, October 26, 2010 by sportinglife.aol.co.uk

CARLING CUP: DW STADIUM, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 26 2010. KICK OFF: 19.45 BST

Having sparked Swansea's revival in his last job, the last thing Roberto Martinez would expect is to suffer a barrage of abuse.

But that's the reality of the position the Wigan manager finds himself in as he prepares to face his former club for the first time.

The Spaniard transformed Swansea, first as a player and captain, and then as a manager as they climbed through the leagues. They sit in a healthy third spot in the Championship and the majority of his bargain buys from the British market, and imports from the continent, remain in Swansea.

Yet it won't stop 4,500 Swansea fans from venting their anger at the man they used to love down in south Wales. Few are willing to a take into account the good work Martinez did for the club - selling out their away allocation points to that fact.

Martinez had promised never to leave Swansea but once Wigan came calling 16 months ago, he was off. Swansea felt let down and thought they had been left in the lurch before the start of the season. Those memories of success were soon tarnished when he accepted Dave Whelan's offer to return to the club that first brought to Britain from Catalonia.

And despite laying the foundations for success, time doesn't appear to have healed some of the wounds that are still raw between his former and current club.

Key Match-up: Victor Moses v Ashley Williams
Aftertaking the Championship by storm, Moses has yet to find his best form at the DW Stadium. The winger-cum-striker has pace to burn and will want to impress in a rare start for Wigan this season. He will come up against Williams, who is highly rated at Swansea and has attracted interest from Roberto Martinez among others. The Welsh international, once Swansea's record buy, is destined for the Premier League.

Form Guide: Wigan have stepped up in recent weeks after looking relegation certs at the start of the season. They may have secured two draws from their last two Premier League games, but they were left kicking themselves for not imroving on that tally. Swansea's home form has seen them jump into the top three in the Championship and a win, against Watford on the last time on their travels, would have boosted confidence ahead of their trip up north.

Odds: Wigan 8/11, Draw 9/4, Swansea 3/1