Salford Red Devils vs Wigan Warriors Prediction: Champions to run riot in M30

Another difficult week for crisis club Salford has seen player wages delayed again - and the month of May ends with the visit of Betfred Super League champions Wigan to the Salford Community Stadium on Friday (20:00, live on Sky Sports +).

Read on for our rugby league expert George Riley's Salford Red Devils vs Wigan Warriors predictions, complete with the latest odds and team news.

Salford Red Devils vs Wigan Warriors Odds

Defending champions Wigan are long odds-on to make it eight wins on the bounce in all competitions at the Salford Community Stadium on Saturday. The Warriors are 1/500 at Betfred, with Salford 28/1 to spring a huge upset. The draw is 28/1.

Bevan French, Jai Field and Liam Marshall dominate the tryscorer markets, all trading at 11/2 to score first and 1/5 anytime.

Team News

The weekly question around Salford selection centres on whether Rowley is able to fill a 21-man squad. The answer this week is no, with the Red Devils boss naming just 18 for the visit of the champions.

Wigan haven't actually helped Rowley as they recall Harvey Makin from his Salford loan and he is named instead in the Warriors' 21-man squad.

Of Rowley's 18, there are at least some star names in Nene Macdonald, Ryan Brierley and forward Sam Stone who returned to the fold last week. But it was also a relatively strong squad that was thumped by Wakefield last weekend.

Wigan make the short trip to Salford with only two changes to their squad from last week and are likely to field a similar side to the one which overpowered the Dragons at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Makin's inclusion and that of Kian McDermott are the only two changes made by boss Matt Peet, with two key forwards dropping out.

England prop Luke Thompson has suffered broken ribs which need some time to heal, while the unfortunate Sam Walters, who has been unable to get a good run in the side since his move from Leeds Rhinos, now set for an extended spell on the sidelines with a broken fibula.

Wigan Warriors -54 @ 11/10

I fear this is not going to be a pretty watch for Salford fans or neutrals. While Wigan have been flying, patched up Salford were on the wrong end of a 72-10 scoreline at promoted Wakefield last weekend - which equalled Trinity's record Super League win.

I don't remember many two-horse races in this competition where one team is 28/1 to win and the handicap is set at 54 points, but that is indicative of the depths to which Salford have fallen this year.

As such it is pretty tricky to offer a shrewd piece of tipping this week. Salford are going to lose this game badly. The best case scenario - as we have seen a couple of times with Salford during this awful period for the club - is that they come out with real fight and show spirit to keep it tight for as long as possible. But even then you would be looking at Wigan pulling away for a 30+ points victory.

I would like to think a Salford team with some big names present can keep this one to the vague respectability of an under-50 point defeat, but I can't say that with any degree of confidence. And the more pessimistic fan will look to the concession of 72 points against Wakefield and wonder what kind of damage Wigan could do if they really go for it.

As such I don't have enough confidence to even take on a wild 54-point handicap this week, and am backing Wigan to do what we expect them to do.

Ethan Havard anytime tryscorer @ 2/1

You won't find any attractive value in the main protagonists scoring a try for Wigan in this one, with star men Bevan French and our usual selection Jai Field just 1/5 to cross within 80 minutes.

So we have to be a little more creative to find a scorer worth backing, and as such I find myself looking either at the Wigan pack of the half-backs where we see Harry Smith at 5/4. Smith is often good for a support-play try but he has often found Field or French in that position to pick up the pieces.

Hooker Kruise Leeming is also a 5/4 choice but I'm going to take a punt on big forward Ethan Havard at 2/1 on his recent return to the side after injury.

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