Wigan Athletic 'very dangerous opponents', admits Blackpool chief

Latics remain in the League One relegation zone, with the north-west derby marking the midway point of the campaign.

But Leam Richardson's men are unbeaten in their last five matches - losing only one of their last eight - and Critchley is affording them maximum respect.

“If you looked at the last few results they’ve had, and they’re on a little unbeaten run, it tells you they’re not perhaps where they deserve to be," he said.

“I think they’re very dangerous opponents. You can easily look at the league and how many wins they’ve had and think the players have been affected by the club’s bad news.

“But when you watch the team play, their players play with no fear and they play as if they’ve got nothing to lose.

“They’ve got a lot of new players who haven’t been at the club previously so they’re not affected by the situation, they just see it as an opportunity to go and play and showcase themselves and that’s what they’re doing.

“They should have beaten Fleetwood on Saturday. They drew that game 0-0 and Fleetwood are a very good team with good players, so that shows you Wigan’s capabilities.”

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