Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards Prediction: 6/4 about Field day for the wannabe leaders
Leigh Leopards came up short in their bid to reach Wembley in the Betfred Challenge Cup last week but there is no time to sulk as a return to Betfred Super League action brings with it the Battle of the Borough as champions Wigan Warriors await at the Brick Community Stadium (kick-off 20:00 BST, live on Sky Sports Action).
The Warriors had their feet up with a weekend off last week and they know that they could go top of the table with a win. Here are my Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards predictions, along with full team news and Betfred's latest match odds.
Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards Betting Tips
*odds correct at the time of publication
Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards Odds
Some might look at the 1-0 extra-time win of Leigh at the DW in round one and expect the markets to be on a knife-edge, but Betfred have the Warriors as big favourites this time around.
Wigan are 1/9 to claim the two competition points which would see them go above leaders Hull KR until Saturday evening at the very least. The title sponsors have Leigh as a 6/1 shot, implying a 14.3% probability of an away win in 80 minutes, while a repeat on February's draw is slated at 22/1.
The handicap market shows a significant belief in Wigan on the bookies' part, with the standard two-way bracket giving Leigh a 16.5-point advantage. In those circumstances, the Leopards are 5/6 and the Warriors 10/11.
Team News
Wigan have confirmed that there will be no imminent return for winger Abbas Miski, who has been dogged by injury this year. He has now undergone surgery for a long-standing knee injury and will be out of action for the next two months.
Winger Jacob Douglas has been playing on dual registration for Oldham in recent weeks, as has hooker Tom Forber. Douglas is named in the Wigan squad but Forber is not.
Prop Patrick Mago provides a boost with his return to the squad while Douglas looks set to battle with Zach Eckersley for a place on the wing.
Leigh name the same 21-man squad as for last weekend's cup defeat to Warrington, meaning still no return for the likes of Frankie Halton, Keenan Brand or Aaron Pene.
Forward Owen Trout was charged with a head contact last weekend but has escaped a ban and is therefore free to play at the Brick.
Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards Stats
- Jai Field has scored in all 8 Super League appearances since playing in the 1-0 loss to Leigh in round one, crossing 12 times in total
- Wigan have won 13 of the 15 Super League meetings between these teams, with 10 of those coming by at least two scores
Handicap 3-way Alternative 1: Leigh +12 @ 6/4
This is a repeat of that opening-round fixture this season that will go down in folklore, with the competition's first ever 0-0 draw then decided by a golden-point drop goal in Leigh's favour.
This time I am pretty confident that we will see tries. Wigan have moved up through the gears nicely as the season has progressed and I have felt for the last few weeks that they are just waiting patiently on the shoulder of leaders Hull KR, waiting to pounce.
The Warriors will get their chance this weekend - for 24 hours at least - given they play first, and I expect them to take advantage against a Leigh side who will have to turn around quickly from the disappointment of that Challenge Cup exit.
This won't be a blowout but I am reasonably confident of a Wigan win. I feel they are the stronger side, in better form and with fewer key injuries.
I am going for a home win but I am not too sure about the handicap being around 18 points. I feel that Leigh can get closer than that so am going with the Leopards with a 12-point start. If Wigan run hot then I am likely to be proved wrong, but let's see.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
Jai Field anytime tryscorer @ 8/11
Hands up who took our 4/1 tip on Leigh hooker Edwin Ipape to score an anytime try in the Challenge Cup semis last weekend? Ipape ran in the opening try of the game to justify our backing - and well done if you went further and took advantage of him to score the game's first try.
This weekend I am resorting to being a little more boring I'm afraid, simply because when Jai Field plays he also scores, and Wigan tend to win.
So this weekend Jai Field will play, Jai Field will score and Wigan will win. Even odds on at an implied 57.9% he's good value.
Odds correct at time of publishing.
You can read all our latest Rugby League Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights Rugby League content hub
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