Super League: Leigh Leopards vs Wigan Warriors preview, stats and suggested bets
- Seb Sternik
- 29 March 2023
As the Super League table begins to take shape, Wigan will be looking to keep pace with their fellow title challengers as they take on in-form Leigh on Thursday night.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Super League, Thursday, March 30, Kick-off 8.00pm, live on Sky Sports
Predicted score
Leigh Leopards 16-20 Wigan Warriors
Suggested bets
Wigan to win outright
Wigan winning margin 1-12 points
Leigh to score over 13.5 points
Key stats
Wigan boast the second-best defence having conceded 73 points
Leigh Leopards have won three of their last four games
Wigan have won the last three head-to-heads
Leigh have scored 16 or more points in three of their last four games against Wigan
Previous meetings
Super League: Wigan 50-6 Leigh - August, 2021
Super League: Leigh 16-30 Wigan - May, 2021
Super League: Leigh 18-20 Wigan - March 2021
Super League: Leigh 50-34 Wigan - June, 2017
Super League: Wigan 20-0 Leigh - March 2017
Recent form
Leigh enter Thursday's clash with Wigan in stellar form having claimed three wins from their last four outings.
The Leopards have overcome Hull KR, St Helens and Hull FC in recent weeks, only losing to league leaders Warrington during this time.
Adrian Lam's side may boast the fourth-worst defence in the competition, though it's their ability to put points on the board which is really catching the eye.
The Leopards have scored 20 or more points in all of their last four matches, making them the seventh-best attacking side in the Super League.
Having a strong attack will certainly come in handy against one the competition's best defences.
Wigan, who have conceded just 73 points from their opening six games, will arrive in Leigh with four wins from five games under their belt.
Matt Peet's men edged Huddersfield and Salford in their last two outings, winning both encounters by two- and four-point margins.
Verdict
Leigh's long-held ambition of becoming an established Super League outfit is slowly coming to fruition.
The Leopards have already played five clubs from the current top six, and they've managed to claim an impressive six points.
This Thursday, Lam's men face another stiff test as Wigan Warriors make the short trip to the Leigh Sports Village.
Last time both teams met, it was Wigan who ran riot as they picked up a 50-6 victory against their relegation-bound opponents. However, a lot has changed since that 2021 encounter.
Leigh are not the minnows they once were, and a close encounter is most certainly on the cards.
While Wigan remain favourites to take the two points, our betting recommendation is for the Warriors to do the business inside the 1-12 point winning margin.
Backing Leigh to score over 13.5 points is another enticing option, as the Leopards look to give another good account of themselves.
