Two teams with zero points from gameweek 1 meet at the Brick Community Stadium on 22 August 2026. Wigan fell 2-3 to Cambridge United at home despite playing well enough to win, while Orient conceded late at Sheffield Wednesday to go down 1-2.
Gary Caldwell and Richie Wellens have never faced each other in a dugout.
Wigan arrive on the back of a 3-2 EFL Trophy win over Aston Villa U21 on 18 August, having come from behind to do it, though their EFL Cup run ended on penalties against Barnsley after a 1-1 draw on 8 August. Orient come in with two wins from their two cup outings since the league opener: a penalty shootout win over AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Trophy on 18 August and a 2-0 EFL Cup win over Oxford United on 8 August.
Wigan have no reported absences, putting them in a considerably better position than Orient, who will be without Somto Boniface for eight to ten weeks. Caldwell took charge in February 2026 after replacing Ryan Lowe, Wellens has been in post since March 2022.
Wing backs push high, the central pivot distributes progressively and attacking midfielders arrive late to support Sonny Perkins and Dara Costelloe up front. Both scored on league debut last weekend, with Max Power behind them providing the runs that created the space. Power screens in front of the defence, freeing the attacking midfielders ahead of him.
Orient prefer a compact four man defence with creative midfielders. Jaze Kabia leads the line but without Boniface alongside him there is considerably less to work with and Armando Dobra and Yusuf Akhamrich will carry more of the load. Holding the ball high up the pitch for sustained spells will be harder without Boniface's hold up play to fall back on.
Wigan's wing backs will test Orient's full backs repeatedly and if the home side can isolate Dobra or Akhamrich defensively, overloads follow. Orient's best counter is sliding Kabia into the channels between Wigan's centre backs and wing backs. Power needs to screen effectively to stop Orient's technicians from receiving and turning in the half space, while Orient's midfielders will look to press early and deny Wigan time on the ball in their own half.
Wigan's EFL Trophy win gave fringe players minutes and they came from behind to do it. With a congested schedule ahead and no like for like cover for Boniface, managing Kabia's workload will become a growing problem for Orient regardless of what happens here.
Orient are unbeaten in the last four meetings, including a 0-0 draw at Wigan in April 2026 and have two wins to Wigan's one across the previous six, with three draws.
Both teams showed vulnerability from set pieces in their openers: Wigan conceded twice from dead balls against Cambridge and Orient's concession at Sheffield Wednesday also came from a restart. With Boniface gone, Orient lose their main aerial presence in both boxes, meaning defending Wigan's delivery becomes harder for Orient without an aerial anchor. The short turnaround from midweek cup ties will test both squads but the burden falls harder on Orient given they have no adequate cover for their main striker.
Boniface's absence is the structural reason to side with Wigan here. Perkins and Costelloe can hurt Orient through the channels created by wing back overlaps and Power's screening should cut the supply line before Orient's technicians can pick their passes. Orient's unbeaten run in this fixture is a genuine counter but the defensive fragility they showed at Sheffield Wednesday is exactly the kind of thing Wigan's structure is designed to exploit: narrow 2-1 home win.
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?.
