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

Crowd 23,333

Our attitude is key. We seam to have lost the attitude needed for a Derby in recent years. If we treat it with the just another game attitude we'll get blasted again.

If we treat it as a high intensity game I would expect a low scoring affair.

18 - 12 to Saints.

It'll be a cracking game, I'll be bias and go for a win, I think the goal kicking will be vital to the outcome, might be worth Matty Smith having a go. 26-24.

Yeah, cos Paddy is woeful.

Wigan 44 - 12 Saints

1st try - Sam Tomkins

Attendance - 23,789

Two below strength teams, hopefully balancing each other out and leading to an exciting game.

I can see Wigan out enthusing Stains on this one though and running away with it.

Wigan by 30.

Then again I wouldn't at all be surprised to see Stains win.

It's a really hard one to call, but I will stick with Wigan by 30.