FA Cup Final betting: Man City 8/11 to beat Wigan on the -1 handicap

The 2013 FA Cup final will be a proud occasion for Wigan, for whom the match represents the pinnacle of their footballing achievements to-date. Unfortunately for Roberto Martinez’s never-say-die merchants, fate has dealt them a hand littered with defensive injuries and City’s been there and done that battalions should beat them within 90 minutes, defying a -1 handicap in the process – Coral go 8/11 about the cookie crumbling in just such a fashion.

As fleets of coaches begin to make the long journey southwards choc-full of hopeful Wiganers the Latics are entering a crucial phase, with their glamorous Wembley holiday and a welcome retreat from the prospect of the must win trip to the Emirates on Tuesday night. The Latics are without first-choice defenders Ivan Ramis and Maynor Figueroa, with centre-halves Antolin Alcaraz and sometime wing-back Jean Beausejour also injury doubts.

The one-sided nature of the City v Wigan ledger in recent years is well documented, but even with the Latics at their most spirited and the Sky Blues at their most insipid Roberto Mancini’s men were still able to grind out their seventh win to nil in as many meetings when the sides clashed at the Etihad at the end of April.

Worries over their opponents ability to put them to the sword are fair – City have scored more than once just three times in their last seven games, but Wigan have conceded at at least twice in their last four games and their knack of affording their foes extra assistance with painful lapses at the back is nightmare from which the DW Stadium outift only seem destined to awake when they reach the Championship.

The Latics beleaguered back line will be particularly upset that there has been no unscheduled golf-tour of Argentina for Carlos Tevez this spring – the Sky Blues’ goal-merchant has notched five goals in his last five starts against them. His harrying front-running style is tailor made for dispiriting Wigan’s error-prone defenders and Coral’s evens about him to bag at any time looks worth snaffling.