SAINTS prop Alex Walmsley expects Wigan to be up and motivated for Friday night's Super 8s clash.

The beaten Challenge Cup finalists have only six days to lick their Wembley wounds - and will bounce straight into what is now a must win game for both sides.

With the way the past two round have gone the derby rivals are now level as they jostle to overtake fourth-placed Wakefield for the last semi-final spot - although Saints have a superior points difference.

A Saints win will as good as eliminate the Cherry and Whites from the running.

But after losing the past two encounters, Justin Holbrook's side need a victory too to keep their destiny in their own hands.

Saints continued training, despite the blank weekend, with prop Walmsley anticipating a massive encounter.

He said: “Wigan will be up for it. They’ve had Wembley this week but I’m sure they’ll still have an eye on us because this game with them is as big to them now as it is us.

“They’re on level points with us now, back among it after being written off a few weeks ago which was madness.

“It’s a big game for us and we’ve got two points we need to get.

“We’re obviously disappointed with the result against Leeds, it’s a tough one to take on the back of having been winning games and now losing the last two by two points.

“I think we’ve been beaten by two points about 10 times this year.

"If you flip them games around and we win them by two points we’d be up there with Cas.

“We’re going in the right direction.

“The way we’re turning up for each other means there are a lot of good positive signs.

“Our destiny is still in our own hands – we’ve got four big games to come and if we get four wins we’re in the top four.”