Wigan Warriors vs Huddersfield Giants Prediction: Leaders to go big this time after York close shave

After surviving a real scare at home to Betfred Super League new boys York Knights, leaders Wigan Warriors put their 100% record on the line again on Saturday afternoon when rock-bottom Huddersfield Giants visit the Brick Community Stadium (15:00 GMT, Sky Sports+).

The Giants parted company with head coach Luke Robinson this week after losing their first five games of the league season, and it is unlikely to get much better this week against the mighty Warriors. Here are my Wigan Warriors vs Huddersfield Giants predictions, Betfred's match odds and all the latest team news.

Wigan Warriors vs Huddersfield Giants Odds

Team News

Wigan got nowhere near the hefty 28-point handicap last week as they scraped past the Knights by a single point, and boss Matt Peet makes two changes to his initial 21-man squad for the visit of the hapless Giants.

Both changes involve youngsters, with Tom Forber and Nathan Lowe - who both spent time on loan at Oldham last year - replaced by academy graduate Lukas Mason and off-season recruit Jonny Vaughan.

Lowe was unfortunate not to make his debut last week after being named on the bench but remaining unused against York, while Forber has gone on a short-term loan to struggling Castleford.

Neither Vaughan nor Mason - whose father is former Super League enforcer Keith Mason - have yet made their Wigan debuts.

Huddersfield's hierarchy have seen enough of a dismal start to the season, and relieved Robinson of his duties this week. Director of rugby Andy Kelly is left holding things together this week and remains without a host of senior players.

But a number of key figures do return to boost a side in desperate need of reinforcements. Full-back Niall Evalds, winger Adam Swift, centre Connor Wrench and half-back Adam Clune have all been named in the squad, and if all were to play that would give the Giants their strongest line-up of the season by far.

Dropping out are the three loan signings from Leeds, Presley Cassell, Ned McCormack and Riley Lumb, who head back to the Rhinos.

Handicap 3-way: Wigan -24 @ 20/21

Wigan may have fallen over the line against York by a single point last week, but the five-from-five Warriors are overwhelming favourites to maintain their flawless start to the season.

This, remember, is a Wigan side currently without Bevan French or Jai Field, and although there is clearly that little bit of magic missing, the consistency is ominous for their rivals at this point in the year.

The handicap last week was 28 - we took it on and credit to York for making a mockery of it. It was one hell of a contest and one that York almost won. This week Huddersfield could have some big names back but they have no chance of winning this game. This is a club in trouble, and it is tough to see how any new coach can come in and bring about a meaningful upturn in fortunes. Huddersfield also haven't won at Wigan since 2019 - a run of eight straight defeats.

The handicap is 24, and with a strong squad out and nothing to lose they have every chance of keeping it below that given what we saw from York last week.

But you sense Wigan will learn from that let-off and won't let it happen again. Even without French and Field there are points all over the park, as Zach Eckersley, Liam Marshall and Adam Keighran are proving.

I'm going to ignore last week's close shave and back Wigan big again. Last season saw two hefty home wins for Wigan by 20 and 26 points, and I think we will be in that ball park again.

Adam Keighran Anytime Tryscorer @ 10/11

Adam Keighran needs just 12 points to hit a milestone of 500 in a Wigan shirt and I am backing him to do it this week. It helps that he is the goalkicker, of course, but he has also this season shown an eye for a try and is 10/11 this week to cross the whitewash.

Both wingers are short odds 2/5 to cross but you would expect both Liam Marshall and Eckersley to oblige, while my value tips would be Junior Nsemba and Liam Farrell - both at 6/4. Farrell is just two tries short of 150 for Wigan, while England international Nsemba has come close to touching down in each of the last few games without crossing.

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