Leicester City host Wigan Athletic at the King Power Stadium on 27 October 2026 in a League One clash that means very different things to each side. Leicester, 13th with 15 points from 11 games, are chasing the play offs after dropping out of the Championship, whereas Wigan are bottom in 24th with just seven points, staring down another survival battle. There is no meaningful head to head history between Russell Martin and Gary Caldwell, so this one comes down entirely to contrasting philosophies rather than personal familiarity.
Leicester's form has been mixed but not without promise. A 1-2 defeat at Luton on 24 October stung a little, coming three days after a convincing 4-0 win over Bromley and back to back wins earlier in the month had already hinted that Martin's system was starting to click in the final third. Wigan's situation looks considerably bleaker, with two league wins in 11 outings and a loss at Huddersfield doing nothing to change that picture.
Martin has a few headaches. John Lundstram is suspended, Jayden Joseph is out long term, Jakub Stolarczyk is sidelined with an ACL injury and Ben Nelson misses out with cruciate ligament damage, four absences that hurt Leicester most at the back where two centre backs who would have provided defensive stability are unavailable. Wigan's situation is similarly thin: Fraser Murray and Graeme Gray are both suspended while Luke Harris and Ryan Trevitt are long term absentees, leaving Caldwell scraping for options in central areas.
Martin typically sets Leicester up in a 3-4-2-1, with the wing backs providing the width that allows the two tens behind Riis to operate in central pockets. Emil Riis, the side's top scorer with around four goals, runs channels in behind defences with Sammy Braybrooke providing creativity from midfield. Harry Souttar anchors the defensive line, though the absence of two centre backs puts more pressure on those covering for him to stay organised. Wigan operate in a 4-2-3-1, press high and lean on Jensen Weir as their primary creative outlet, with Christian Saydee up front and Joe Whitworth in goal. Murray and Gray's suspensions hurt them considerably: both would have been central to Wigan's ability to press with numbers and recover quickly and without them Caldwell is asking stretched midfielders to cover ground they probably cannot. Whether Leicester's wing backs can drag Wigan's midfielders wide, leaving Braybrooke space to turn and play Riis in behind, is the contest in a nutshell, Saydee on his own against two centre backs is a difficult assignment and Wigan have kept one clean sheet all season against a Leicester side averaging more than 1.5 goals per game. Recent meetings between the two sides are limited, the most notable being Leicester's 2-0 FA Cup win in January 2020 and the broader historical record generally favours the home side, though given how different both squads look now, current form and tactics are a better guide than past results.
Leicester have scored 17 goals in 11 games and set pieces could be decisive against a Wigan defence already stretched by injuries and suspensions.
Leicester 2-1 Wigan Athletic. Martin's side have shown they can dominate the ball even in difficult games and Wigan's suspended midfield pair leaves them without the numbers to press consistently for 90 minutes, losing Murray and Gray means Caldwell has no like for like cover if his midfield is stretched or picks up further knocks. Riis looks the likeliest scorer with Braybrooke adding the second. Wigan's press may force errors from Leicester's centre backs, particularly with two midfield regulars absent but the squad depth simply is not there to sustain it.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
