Wigan, who are looking for a first win in seven, are set to name an unchanged side with David Cotterill, Ryan Taylor and Steve McMillan still sidelined.
Wigan took advantage of a dreadful Manchester City performance to secure a first win in seven games.
Centre-back Andy Webster is close to full fitness and may be in the squad.
They went ahead after just 67 seconds when Emile Heskey connected perfectly to fire home an Emmerson Boyce cross.
Manchester City keeper Nicky Weaver is pushing to return from a back injury, but teenager Joe Hart is on standby.
Less than three minutes later Richard Dunne inexplicably headed into his own net from Josip Skoko's free-kick.
Sylvain Distin, Claudio Reyna and Hatem Trabelsi should prove their fitness but Darius Vassell and DaMarcus Beasley are injured and Ishmael Miller is a doubt.
Henri Camara took advantage of hesitancy by City's defence to score and Antonio Valencia added a fine fourth with a right-foot drive.
The win gives Wigan some breathing space at the foot of the table but the way the visitors collapsed will raise some questions for Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce.
His side have now taken just five points from the 15 Premiership games on their travels since they were beaten 4-3 at the JJB Stadium on Boxing Day last year.
City never looked like improving that record once Heskey had put Wigan in front.
The big striker produced one of the only moments of quality in the game when he swung out his right leg to dispatch Boyce's centre past City keeper Nicky Weaver.
It was the 28-year-old's 96th goal on his 350th Premiership appearance.
And worse was to follow for City with just four minutes on the clock.
Skoko swung a free-kick into the box and, with no Wigan players attacking the ball, Weaver came out but failed to collect as Dunne glanced a header into the empty net.
It took 22 minutes for City to even manage an effort on target, and even that was an ugly effort well wide by Bernardo Corradi.
City's frustrations were illustrated by bookings for Joey Barton and Dietmar Hamann for a couple of late lunges.
Paul Jewell's side were not at their best but they rarely needed to be as City's defence repeatedly came to their aid.
Paul Scharner seemed to have the freedom of the City box and could have had a hat-trick of headers.
Darius Vassell came off the bench to provide a brief moment of hope when he was played in by teenager Michael Johnson on his City debut, but the striker shot wide.
Two further goals in just over two minutes ensured just a second win of the season for Wigan.
They beautifully carved out their third but were given another helping hand by the City defence.
Leighton Baines started the move and then made an ambitious run into the box where he was picked out by Kevin Kilbane.
Baines' square ball should have been cleared by Stephen Jordan but Camara pounced on his half-hearted clearance to deflect past Weaver.
City's defence was nowhere to be seen moments later as Heskey picked out Valencia to stride into the box and drive into the bottom corner for his first goal in English football and complete City's misery.
It was the biggest victory for Wigan in their brief Premiership history and the heaviest defeat of Pearce's 19-month reign.
Wigan boss Paul Jewell:"I don't think it was a fantastic performance, it was a sound one. We deserved to win but the score wasn't a true reflection.
"There are a lot of new players here who are settling in and we will get better as the season goes on.
"There is room for improvement all over the pitch, but you can't be unhappy with a four-nil win."
Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce:"You don't give yourselves a chance when you go 2-0 down after four minutes.
"When you go away from home you hope to keep it tight and quiet the home crowd down, but we did the opposite.
"Man-for-man, we didn't compete well enough and in the second half we lost our shape trying to chase the game."
Manchester City (from): Weaver, Hart, Schmeichel, Distin, Dunne, Jordan, M Mills, Richards, Trabelsi, Barton, Dabo, Hamann, Johnson, Ireland, Reyna, Miller, Sinclair, Corradi, Dickov, Samaras.
Wigan: Kirkland, Boyce, Hall (Webster 46), De Zeeuw, Baines, Valencia (Teale 83), Skoko (Landzaat 30), Scharner, Kilbane, Heskey, Camara.Subs Not Used: Pollitt, McCulloch.
"People outside the football club might be thinking that, but this is Wigan Athletic, it isn't Real Madrid.
Booked: Hamann.
"I knew it would be more difficult this season, that's what happens. Last year everything was a novelty and Wigan Athletic were a story.
Att: 16,235.
"We're fourth bottom of the Premiership here, what a disaster that is! Let's have a sense of realism here. I want them to be better than that, but in the cold light of day, you've got to look at what we're up against."
Ref: P Dowd (Staffordshire).
Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce on Wigan defender Arjan de Zeeuw: "I like Arjan. He has been around a long time and is a seasoned professional who knows the game.
"He reminds me of Terry Butcher in that you know what he is going to do, week-in, week-out.
"He will give a seven-out-of-10 display each week and if you have a few players like that in your team, it gives you a very good base to work off."
BIG-MATCH FACTS
WIGAN ATHLETIC against Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime brings together the club with the joint weakest home attack in the Premiership and the club with the equal poorest away defence.
Paul Jewell's side go into this game with just goal difference separating them from a place in the relegation zone. It's in stark comparison with their position in October last year when they were one off the top and had more than twice as many points after the first seven fixtures (13 in 2005, five now).
Wigan did the 'double' over City in their only previous Premiership meetings, last season.
MANCHESTER CITY are eager to improve on successive draws at Everton and home to Sheffield United, by cashing in on Wigan's poor form with their first away victory of this Premiership campaign.
It's their form on the road that has been the Achilles heel of Stuart Pearce and his side. A 0-1 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park on 25 April is City's only win in 16 Premiership away games. Indeed, they've lost 16 of the last 20 on their top flight travels.
City 'doubled' Wigan at third League level in 1998-99, but have not won against them since. They lost by the odd goal in seven in last season's visit to the JJB, but partially avenged that by eliminating Wigan from the FA Cup a month later. Andrew Cole scored the only goal in a fourth round triumph on 28 January 2006.
WIGAN ATHLETIC Club stats Fixtures 17th 5 pointsHighest achievable after Saturday's matches: 13thLowest could fall: 19th
1. Vying for a first win in six Premiership matches.
2. Bagged just two points from a last available 15, since their only victory to date, home to Reading.
3. Failed to score only once in this League campaign (the 1-0 loss at Portsmouth on 9 September).
4. Kept only one Premiership clean sheet this term (the 1-0 home victory over Reading on 26 August). It's Wigan's only shut out in 15 top League games.
5. The most proligate club in the highest division. Eight points have been dropped from winning positions in the seven games (drew 1-1 home to Watford, and lost 2-1 at Blackburn and 1-3, home to Manchester United).
6. Scored more than a single goal in only one of their seven Premiership matches this season.
7. Won one, drawn one and lost one in the three home League fixtures to date, and averaged a goal a game.
8. Scored one goal in each of seven of the last eight home League games.
9. Face back-to-back away League trips to Fulham and Bolton after this match.
MANCHESTER CITY Club statsFixtures 12th 9 pointsHighest achievable after Saturday's matches: 9thLowest could fall: 13th
1. Picked up five points from the last available nine.
2. Without an away League victory in five (one draw, four defeats).
3. In danger of suffering a 25th defeat in the 48th League match since Stuart Pearce was appointed permanently.
4. Failed to score in half of their League outings this season (four of eight).
