Heskey in line for Latics return

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is expecting Emile Heskey to be fit in time for Sunday’s home Barclays Premier League clash against Aston Villa.

The England striker was ruled out of last week’s 3-2 defeat at Liverpool due to a hamstring problem, leaving top scorer Amr Zaki to play as a lone striker with Daniel de Ridder coming in to bolster the midfield.

Wigan should revert to a 4-4-2, with Heskey returning in place of Antonio Valencia, who is serving a one-match ban following his dismissal at Anfield, while De Ridder keeps his place in midfield after impressing on his first league start.

Provisional squad: Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Figueroa, De Ridder, Cattermole, Palacios, Kapo, Heskey, Zaki, Boyce, Brown, Camara, Kilbane, Koumas, Kupisz, Taylor, Pollitt, Kingson.