Wigan Athletic must hope to avoid Cambridge United, Bolton Wanderers double whammy: View | OneFootball

Wigan Athletic will hope to prevent Cambridge United forward Dan Nlundulu, who is on loan from Bolton Wanderers, from scoring on Saturday

Wigan Athletic are making their return to League One action on Saturday following the international break, and face an away trip to bottom of the league, Cambridge United.

The international break seemingly arrived at the wrong time for the Latics, who have remarkably maintained six consecutive clean sheets in the third tier, and seven in all competitions.

On the other hand, the U's will have been grateful for a week off following five back-to-back defeats in League One, and supporters will hope that boss Garry Monk has used the international break to rectify his side's problems.

For all their defensive solidity, the Wigan faithful will be desperate to see their side back on the scoresheet on Saturday as Shaun Maloney's men have endured four 0-0 draws in their impressive run of clean sheets.

Latics must be wary of Dan Nlundulu

But while the Greater Manchester outfit will be keen to display a sharper threat in the final third than in recent weeks, they will be equally determined to maintain their proud run of shutouts.

And as Maloney and co battle to do just that, Latics supporters will be devastated if they see U's forward Dan Nlundulu become the first man to breach their club's defence in seven matches given he is on loan from bitter rivals Bolton Wanderers.

It would be a double whammy for Latics fans to see their team's impressive run of clean sheets come to an end courtesy of a Wanderers player, and it would only further rub salt into their wounds if such an eventuality saw the U's win in League One for the first time this season at Wigan's expense.

Wanderers supporters, meanwhile, will be keeping a keen eye on the progress of Nlundulu as he takes on Maloney's side on Saturday, which should make the Tics all the more determined to avoid conceding for a seventh consecutive league game.

Furthermore, while it could be argued that Nlundulu has made a decent start to life in a U's shirt by scoring one goal in just four league starts for a side that sit bottom of the third tier, he will be hoping to become more clinical in an effort to convince his parent club that he could have what it takes to lead the line for them in the years to come.

A goal against the Latics on the weekend would clearly make the former Southampton man a well-liked figure among the Wanderers faithful, who will be keen to see Wigan's unbeaten run come to an end as a result of the actions of one of their players.

Nlundulu has troubled Latics before

The 25-year-old has previously found form against the Latics and scored at the Brick Community Stadium during a loan spell from the Saints with Lincoln City back in 2021/22.

It may prove to be a difficult task for the striker to get the better of an in-form defence but the Greater Manchester outfit won the League One title in 2022, while Nlundulu contributed towards a rare defeat for the Latics, as the Imps ran out as 2-1 victors in October 2021, which proves the Bolton man's ability to score against tough opposition.

Nlundulu has faced the Latics three times in his career to date, managing one goal, and if he can make it two goals in four encounters with the Brick Community Stadium outfit, then he could bolster his chances of becoming a Wanderers regular next campaign.

Maloney's men will be looking to avoid this potential double whammy though, and have their own aims of winning in League One for the fourth time this term while also extending their impressive run of clean sheets.