da bet nacional： Wigan only survived by the skin of their teeth last season much in part to the goals of Charles N’Zogbia who left for Aston Villa this summer. Roberto Martinez will have to work miracles at the DW Stadium this season with David Jones the only new face. The loss of N’Zogbia is a hammer blow with all the pace, creativity and goals coming from the Frenchman last season. Hugo Rodallega is their only real attacking threat but the rest of the team is sadly lacking in Premier League quality. James McCarthy doesn’t fall into that bracket but he is only one player and the emphasis will be on him to perform more consistently next season. The lack of signings will come back to haunt Martinez who is facing up to a difficult season at the DW.
da dobrowin： Norwich on the other hand have been buying players left, right and centre after their promotion back to the Premier League. Manager Paul Lambert has taken his side from League One to the top flight in only two years at the helm. He’s boosted his squad’s chances of surviving with some decent signings. Steve Morison, James Vaughan, Kyle Naughton and Bradley Johnson are just some of the more notable players brought in to aid the survival push. Captain Grant Holt will be the key man though if they are to stay up. He is the heartbeat of the Canaries and their main goal scoring threat over the last few seasons. Win, lose or draw the Canaries will be chirping at every game and enjoying the ride they never thought they’d see again.
I can’t see Wigan getting anything from this and Norwich will be riding the crest of a wave that has been going since Lambert reinvigorated the club. I can see a repeat of last season’s opening game when Blackpool came, saw and conquered.
Verdict: 1-3
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