Having experienced different fates at the bottom end of the Championship table, Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United will bring the curtain down on their respective seasons when they square off at the DW Stadium on Monday.

The hosts find themselves condemned to relegation and can only hope to climb off the foot of the division, while their visitors recently confirmed their safety and currently sit 20th heading into the final day.

Match preview

After winning promotion as League One champions last season, Wigan Athletic have experienced a particularly difficult campaign back in England's second tier, with the Latics having sat in the relegation zone since early November.

In their 45 league matches so far this term, the Latics have managed just 10 victories, while suffering 21 defeats, and their survival hopes took another major hit as they were handed a three-point deduction in late March for the late payment of player wages.

Indeed, their points tally is only so high thanks to an improved run in recent weeks under Shaun Maloney's management, as the Lancashire outfit bounced back from three straight defeats with a 1-0 victory over Stoke City, thanks to Will Keane's second-half goal, before he was again on the scoresheet alongside Thelo Aasgard in a 2-1 beating of promotion-chasing Millwall to keep their survival hopes mathematically alive.

That meant that Maloney's men went into last weekend's trip to fellow strugglers Reading needing a victory and for the sides above the drop zone to suffer defeats in order for them to stand a chance of staying in the fight heading into the final day, but they were not able to do so, eventually being held to a 1-1 draw by a Yakou Meite injury-time equaliser, after Charlie Hughes put them ahead 10 minutes from time, while results elsewhere meant the Latics' drop would have been confirmed regardless.

Now preparing for life back in League One next season, while facing ongoing controversy having once again been late with player payments, Wigan will look to go out on somewhat of a positive note with a home victory on Monday.

They welcome a Rotherham United side who recently ended their five-year cycle of promotions and relegations between the Championship and League One by confirming their survival.

Following their third consecutive promotion from England's third tier to its second, having finished second to the Latics, the Millers saw long-serving manager Paul Warne depart early in the campaign, and since taking over in early October, Matt Taylor has overseen 35 league games, with the Millers managing to collect 35 points in that time.

Thanks to a 3-1 beating of West Bromwich Albion and a commendable goalless draw away at Norwich City in early April, the Millers found themselves within touching distance of guaranteeing their safety, and despite only managing to pick up one point from the next four outings, they went into Monday's home contest at home to Middlesbrough knowing that a victory would secure their second-tier status for another term.

With the game goalless, the visitors were reduced to 10 men on the stroke of half time, and Taylor's side did not take long to take advantage, as Hakeem Odoffin put them ahead in the first five minutes of the second half, with the Millers standing strong against the Championship's fourth-placed side to see out their 11th league win of the campaign.

As well as confirming their place in the second tier next season, that victory moved Rotherham United onto 49 points and up to 20th spot, and with Queens Park Rangers and Huddersfield Town both just a point ahead, Taylor's men will be keen to climb further and surpass the 50-point mark with a victory to close the curtain on their impressive campaign.

Team News

Wigan Athletic have several enforced absentees heading into the final day, as Jason Kerr, Curtis Tilt, Josh Magennis and Ashley Fletcher are all confined to the treatment room alongside goalkeeper Ben Amos.

That leaves Jamie Jones to continue between the sticks, while Thelo Aasgard and Charlie Wyke will fight to come in and join Callum Lang and Will Keane in a front three.

Christ Tiehi should again join Max Power in the engine room with Jack Whatmough bound to play at the heart of the back three.

Rotherham are also dealing with a long list of injuries, as Sean Morrison, Grant Hall, Bailey Wright, Tyler Blackett, Conor Coventry, Shane Ferguson and Chiedozie Ogbene are all sidelined, while Ferguson and Ogbene were forced off in the Middlesbrough victory.

That leaves Taylor with limited options, particularly in defence, and veteran Richard Wood will again join Cameron Humphreys in the middle of the back four, while Ben Wiles will hope for a start in midfield on the final day having recently returned from a long injury layoff, with Jamie Lindsay, Ollie Rathbone and Hakeem Odoffin also competing for spots.

In the absence of Ogbene and Ferguson, Tariqe Fosu and full-back Leo Hjelde may have to come in on the flanks in support of frontman Jordan Hugill, who has netted five league goals for the Millers since arriving from Norwich City in January.

Wigan Athletic possible starting lineup:
Jones; Hughes, Whatmough, Nyambe; Darikwa, Tiehi, Power, McClean; Lang, Keane, Aasgard

Rotherham United possible starting lineup:
Johansson; Harding, Humphreys, Wood, Bramall; Wiles, Odoffin; Fosu, Rathbone, Hjelde; Hugill

We say: Wigan Athletic 1-1 Rotherham United

With little left to fight for on the final day, we do not see either side blowing the other away, and the basement side have shown enough in recent weeks to suggest that they could at least take a point before dropping back to the third tier.


For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Previews by email