Warrington Wolves vs Wigan Warriors Prediction: The battle of the bloodied heavyweights

We could have one of the best games of the Betfred Super League season so far at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday night as title hopefuls Warrington Wolves and Wigan Warriors lock horns having both suffered surprise defeats last weekend (20:00 BST, Sky Sports+ HD).

Wigan were stunned at home by struggling Castleford Tigers and will need to regroup quickly against a Wolves side who had been flying prior to their own loss to Catalans Dragons. My Warrington Wolves vs Wigan Warriors predictions, Betfred's match odds and the latest team news can be found below.

Warrington Wolves vs Wigan Warriors Odds

For once, Wigan are not the favourites to win here. It is the Wire who are odds-on for the victory at 5/6, with Matt Peet's side 11/10. That implies a 47.6% probability of the Warriors coming out on top. You can back the 80-minute draw at 14/1.

Team News

Two teams who were setting the early-season pace now sit fourth and fifth ahead of the weekend, and both require a huge response this weekend to nip any jitters in the bud heading into the summer months. Wigan have now lost their last three league games and nobody expected that home reverse to the Tigers - a first win at Wigan for Cas in almost nine years.

Consistency, though, remains key for Warriors head coach Peet, who makes just one change and resists the temptation to rotate after that second-half collapse. And that change is a positive one, with England centre Jake Wardle in contention for the first time since Round 1 after making better than expected progress after a knee injury.

Wardle comes in for young outside back Dayon Sambou - who scored last week - hinting that Wardle may even be fit to start. Sambou did appear to pick up an injury last week after scoring his spectacular try.

Still missing for Wigan are star man Bevan French and suspended playmaker Harry Smith, with centre Adam Keighran deputising in the halves last week.

Warrington's team news is just as noteworthy, as England captain George Williams misses out. Williams has a neck injury sustained in France and the club say he will be out "indefinitely".

Further bad news for the Wolves sees in-form prop James Harrison needing ankle surgery that will keep him out for at least two months. Wire make three changes in total, with young winger Lachlan Webster the other man to miss out.

The three players to come in are star full-back Cai Taylor-Wray after his second injury lay-off already this season, forward Jordy Crowther and youngster Luke Thomas, who scored a try on loan at Oldham last week. I'm not expecting Crowther to play given he has a fractured cheekbone but stranger things have happened in this sport.

Prop Tof Sipley seemed to aggravate his calf injury on his return last week. He is named in the squad but I would wager that will be a late fitness test. Warrington are certainly weakened this week.

Rugby League Odds

Wigan +12.5 & Matty Ashton to Score A Try @ 6/5

The Warriors were 1/11 favourites to win at home to Castleford last week and, despite leading at half-time, contrived to lose the game to an inspired Cas side, who moved off the foot of the table with a win. Hardly the ideal preparation to travel to Warrington, where no visiting team has won this season.

The Wolves have shown weaknesses of late, but their two losses have come away to Leeds and Catalans, with the Halliwell Jones Stadium producing their very best.

It would feel easy - as discussed in last week's column - to conclude that Harry Smith's absence in the halves led to Wigan coming unstuck. That definitely played a part but, in truth, Wigan were out-enthused which was somewhat alarming against statistically the worst team in the league.

Warrington's defeat in France was also not predicted but is somewhat easier to explain given how hostile the Stade Gilbert Brutus can be when visiting teams are under the pump like the Wolves were. So this week's meeting should be a cracker and feels way too close to call.

Wigan get a two-point start on the handicap, which underlines their struggles over the first few months of the season, and how well Warrington have been playing at home. I would have Warrington to win this game if George Williams was fit, but his absence puts doubt in my mind - we saw how much Wigan miss Smith and French.

These are the kind of games that will tell us how genuine Warrington's silverware aspirations are. Seeing them so high in the table is nothing new. But can they take the game to Wigan, Leeds and Saints when it matters? The answer to the Saints question earlier this season was yes, and with Leeds it was no. But the Wolves will be very confident of getting at a Wigan side that has looked so uncharacteristically vulnerable.

Given this one feels on a knife edge I'm going for a Pick Your Punt selection first up. I have England winger Matty Ashton to continue his hot scoring run, and I have Wigan to get within a couple of scores. So I'm taking Wigan +12.5 and an Ashton anytime try at 6/5.

Jai Field Anytime Tryscorer @ 5/4

My second selection underlines my stubbornness not to back against Jai Field even when Wigan are not hitting the right notes.

Field blanked in defeat last week but has been a regular scorer up until then and his odds are a favourable 5/4 this week given it is a tough away fixture.

For Wigan to compete they need their livewire full-back to create some magic and I have Field to do that.

Find more Rugby League Betting Tips here at Betfred Insights