So we are now into the build up for the derby with a sell out crowd! Feeling confident?

I'm gonna go with:

Wigan 24-20 Saints
Attendance: 24,100

I get the feeling Saints are really finding their feet under Brown now and they'll be well up for this. Both sides are going to be missing a few players so no excuses on that score. I know we'll give it a real go and I think we're due a win against one of the top teams-

Wigan 26

Saints 16

1st Try- Thornley
Mom- McIlorum

Att-24,500

Think I'll wait on news re Micky Mac and Lockers before predicting. Losing either, or both of those then it would be very difficult for us, especially with us already missing a lot of experience. They both play, then I think we will do them.

Wigan 22 10 Saints

Not very confident on this one, yes your forwards are decimated but your young forwards are doing a great job

But hey it's the derby!

Wigan 16
Saints 20 !!!

Wigan - 34 Saints - 6

1st try Charnley

Could go either way this, we're due a win against a big team but then again Saints probably owe us one after last season. A win here would be really uplifting. I'll go:

Wigan 23
St Helens 22

Smith last second drop goal.

It'll be close I reckon. I'll go Wigan 18 Sts 16 and an attendance of about 22.5k (although I haven't seen any threads about how ticket sales are going).

with Lockers and MM, I think we will pump them.

I may well be completely of the mark, but i am in a cocky confident mood

The game will be a sell out if Saints sell out their end. Only single seated tickets left in East Stand and a few in the West Stand. South Stand sold out last week!

Only confident because there is no James Roby, struggled to put away Salford at home...

Wigan 28 - 10 St Helens

A lot depends on whether Lomax plays. He was also missing against Salford.

Although I wouldn't take too much from the Salford game, it was terrible conditions and we just seemed to play out the sets without playing any risky passes etc - our completion rate was 86% in the snow!

Either way, I think you will win. It should be very close though!

Even though we beat Wire, I think we let them back into the game too easily and it was our defence that saw out the result. Probably one of the best defensive displays I'll see from us this season.

I will go for: Wigan 22-18 Saints with a full house.

Wigan 21
Saints 20

First try - Thornley
MOM - Green

Attendance - 22,750

Think we could be in for a classic. Wigan win 24-22, 24k on, bloody freezing.

8 wins in our last 10 trips to your place is a record not to be sniffed at.

But I just don't see it becoming 9 wins in the last 11 as I fancy Wigan to win by 10. Hope I'm wrong though.

Wigan 22 Stains 16 attendance depends on the scoucers turning up only about 250 seats left in home stands

What's a 'scoucer'?

oh look, you pointed out a spelling mistake, how cute

I said last season that for the first time in a while Wigan are the better side man for man. If both teams played to their potential then Wigan would win.

This season I think the same tbh but obviously that was before our injury crisis. The young lads have stepped up superbly and players like Faz Flower Micky and Lockers have got even better.

IF Micky and Lockers play and we go with the side we did against Widnes then I'll take Wigan by 16. My only concern is the young lads not handling the occasion but I'm sure they'll be fine.

I predict that Nathan Brown will be showing his players a copy of the Leeds/Wigan game and encouraging his forwards to be really dominant from the start of the game, they need to be fired up and I think they will be.

Despite the half-back combination problems for St.Helens they really need to lay some kind of platform for whoever is at 6+7 for them because in previous games their forwards have been controlled well by Wigan.

I think we are going to see a very different Saints side on Friday and Brown will be working on how losing Roby can work to his advantage because Wigan have closed him down very well in recent years.

Wigan by 2.

Seems like your coach has singled out Lomax at the press conference.

Saints forwards hold the key. They've been nothing short of embarrassing in the past couple of years against Wigan and have looked physically intimidated by the likes of Hock and McIlorum.

They have a huge chance to put that behind them on Friday. There's no Hock to contend with and it's a very young Wigan pack they'll be facing. The likes of Perry and Laffranchi should hand their salaries back if they get owned by a pack of youngsters.

Admittedly our pack has not been great at times over the last two years, but in the playoffs in 2011 (yes we won both in case you had forgot) the pack was certainly far from embarassing

It is also important that we keep 13 players on the field for 80 minutes.
Obvious I know but last year wec played them four times and in only one game did it end up 13 a side.
Shenton was binned at LP,
Three sent off at MM,
MicMac sent off in the league game at home.
Keep 13 on for the 80 mins and we've every chance of beating Saints.
Wigan 26 Saints 8.

Wigan 26 St Helens 16

First Try Matty Smith

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