Stevenage host Wigan Athletic in League One on 10 October 2026, sitting 13th on nine points from seven games while Wigan arrive 24th with just four points and a goal difference of minus seven. The gap is stark: Stevenage are thinking about the playoffs, Wigan are thinking about survival.
Alex Revell, approaching his 200th game in charge since taking over from Steve Evans in May 2024, faces Gary Caldwell, who replaced Ryan Lowe at Wigan in February 2026. The two haven't met often enough to draw much from the head to head, so the broader club record is more useful than the managerial one.
Stevenage arrive with a mixed sequence (L-W-W-D-D-L), though the middle of that run showed what they're capable of: a 5-1 thrashing of Barnsley on 5 September followed by a 2-1 win over Luton Town on 10 September. The defeat at Leyton Orient on 19 September ended that momentum, whereas Wigan's form reads L-D-L-W-L, their latest result a 0-1 loss at Wycombe and the clean sheet column has been empty for weeks.
Stevenage have no reported absences, with Dan Kemp and Oliver Sanderson available in attack and Vancooten and Piergianni at centre back. Wigan are also at full strength, with Jensen Weir their top scorer and Barrett at full back.
Stevenage's 4-4-1-1 shape sits compact at Broadhall Way and uses quick transitions to find Sanderson or Kemp. Wigan's 4-2-3-1 creates the opposite problem: they've conceded 12 in seven league games and have struggled to score with any consistency. The battle between Kemp and Wigan's double pivot could decide the midfield, since Kemp's movement can create overloads in tight spaces. Sanderson against Wigan's centre backs is the other one to watch, if he can hold the ball up, Stevenage can keep possession in dangerous areas. Weir, playing off the striker, will need Wigan to win the midfield battle first, which they currently look short of doing. Wigan's need to score may push them into higher risk passes that Stevenage's midfield is set up to intercept.
Three meetings stand out in the clubs' head to head record: Stevenage won 1-0 in May 2026, Wigan held them to a 0-0 draw in November 2025 and Wigan won 2-1 in January 2025. Stevenage hold three wins and two draws from roughly six meetings overall, with just the one defeat.
Piergianni and Vancooten are both live targets at set pieces and Kemp's delivery from dead balls adds a consistent attacking outlet that Wigan have struggled to defend in recent weeks. The broader storylines are Revell's 200th game in charge and Wigan's faint lift from a 3-2 EFL Trophy win over Blackpool, though that result won't paper over their league problems.
Stevenage 1-0 Wigan Athletic. Stevenage's home organisation, their set piece threat and Wigan's inability to keep clean sheets or score consistently all point to a home win. A single goal from a set piece or a moment from Kemp or Sanderson should be enough and Wigan look unlikely to find an equaliser against a back four that has been hard to break down at Broadhall Way this season.
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?.
