Fulham - Wigan: The Latics to leave London empty-handed?

Fulham will host Wigan Athletic at Craven Cottage on Friday evening. I find the home team somewhat underrated in the current market.

Fulham

The Cottagers are off to a good but rather annoying start to the season. The 12 points collected from the first 8 games of the season could and should have been more, and the current 12:th spot could and should be a top 6 spot.

Statistics

Only 4 teams have created more shots than Fulham so far in the Championship this season, Fulham creating on average 14.00 shots per game. Only Leeds has created more shots on target than Fulham so far in the Championship this season, Fulham creating on average 4.88 shots on target per game.
Counting only home games so far this season, 5 teams have created more shots than Fulham in the Championship, Fulham creating on average 15.00 shots per game. Only 1 team has created more shots on target at home than Fulham so far in the Championship this season, Fulham creating on average 5.25 shots on target per game.

Only 5 teams have conceded fewer shots than Fulham so far in the Championship this season, Fulham conceding on average 10.00 shots per game. Only Leeds has conceded fewer shots on target than Fulham so far in the Championship this season, Fulham conceding on average 2.38 shots on target per game.
When at home, only 3 teams have conceded fewer shots than Fulham so far in the Championship this season, Fulham conceding on average 9.00 shots per game. Only Leeds has conceded fewer shots on target at home than Fulham so far in the Championship this season, Fulham conceding on average 1.75 shots on target per game.

Wigan

The Latics reside at 19:th place with 8 games from 8 games which is fair by all accounts.

Statistics

7 teams have created fewer shots and shots on target than Wigan so far in the Championship this season, Wigan creating on average 11.00 shots and 3.38 shots on target per game.
Counting only away games so far this season, the numbers look slightly worse, Wigan creating on average 10.25 shots and 3.25 shots on target per game.

8 teams have conceded more shots than Wigan so far in the Championship this season, Wigan conceding on average 15.50 shots per game. Only 2 teams have conceded more shots on target than Wigan so far in the Championship this season, Wigan conceding on average 4.00 shots on target per game.
When on the road, only 3 teams have conceded more shots than Wigan so far in the Championship this season, Wigan conceding on average 16.25 shots per game. Conceded shots on target also remains above average, Wigan conceding on average 4.00 shots on target per game on the road so far in the Championship this season.

Check out more Championship stats here!

Conclusion & Betting Tips

Fulham is performing like a top 6 team, especially at home presenting a potent attack and a solid defense.
Wigan is performing very much like a bottom 6 team, conceding a worrying amount of shots.
Also, excellent sites like Experimental 361 and Infogol indicate that Fulham really should occupy a top 6 spot and Wigan should indeed occupy a bottom 6 spot based on performance and expected goals. When top 6 teams met bottom 6 teams at home last season in the Championship, the average winning margin was 1.57 goals and the actual winning margin was 2 or more goals in 21 of 42 games.
My Betting Tip is Fulham -1.25.
Stake at 5/10 units.

Check out more odds on Fulham - Wigan here!