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WIGAN, England (AP) -Another season looms for Wigan where the big prize is avoiding relegation, although manager Steve Bruce's team showed with a late surge to safety in May that it might be a little easier this time around.
Adding Olivier Kapo from Birmingham, and Lee Cattermole from Middlesbrough to an already large squad has given Bruce plenty of options. But he badly needs to start the season with some impressive performances and victories to give his side the confidence it needs to make sure it stays away from relegation trouble.
Kapo is an attacking midfielder with good dribbling skills and a powerful shot but Bruce must make sure his confidence stays high. He left Birmingham after the central English team was relegated last season, and his head could drop if another battle to avoid the drop appears to be the challenge from early on in this campaign.
Up front, Bruce will rely on the power and heading ability of Emile Heskey with Antonio Valencia and Jason Koumas providing the passes and Antoine Sibierski and maybe Kapo in support. Valencia is also a scoring midfielder while Koumas is a specialist on free kicks.
Bruce will also hope that one of the most injury-prone goalkeepers in English soccer, Chris Kirkland, stays fit. The former Liverpool star has run into one injury after another which has badly hit his chances of becoming an England player.
The tall, powerfully built but mistake-prone Titus Bramble will be at the heart of the Wigan defense supported by Paul Scharner and the talented Ryan Taylor.
If all these play well and stay free from long-term injuries and suspensions, Wigan has a chance of staying clear of relegation trouble once more. Bruce also has plenty of backup players to call on.
But it is a squad without any real quality and if early results go badly and confidence drops, a struggle to avoid the drop is likely.
A big test will be the opening game at West Ham, another club which feeds on confidence. A victory there will give Wigan a major boost.
