SAINTS will be gunning to end an eight-year Good Friday hoodoo when they lock horns with Wigan today (3.15pm) in front of a capacity 17,980 crowd.

Justin Holbrook's first Easter clash with the Saints is huge, made even more so by the positions first and second placings on the table.

He will make one enforced change from the side that won at Hull KR with Adam Swift sidelined with a shoulder injury, meaning a return for Ryan Morgan with Tommy Makinson going back on to the flank.

There will be key battlegrounds - and Saints have a proven match-winner in Ben Barba, but first and foremost Saints must stand up to the physicality and intensity of the Wigan pack featuring Ben Flower, Tony Clubb, Ryan Sutton and Taulima Tautai - a player who can get under the skin of the home pack.

Coach Justin Holbrook said: "Wigan are a tough team and they are skilful.

"I have looked at them this year and they are playing fantastic.

"It is going to be a cracking game. With a derby game it does not matter where you are on the table – but the fact that we are both sitting at the top adds more spice to it."

Saints will pick from: 1. Jonny Lomax, 2. Tommy Makinson, 3. Ryan Morgan, 4. Mark Percival, 6. Theo Fages, 7. Matty Smith, 9. James Roby, 10. Kyle Amor, 11. Zeb Taia, 12. Jon Wilkin, 13. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, 14. Luke Douglas, 15. Morgan Knowles, 16. Luke Thompson, 17. Dom Peyroux, 18. Danny Richardson, 19. Regan Grace, 20. Matty Lees, 23. Ben Barba.

Wigan from: 1. Sam Tomkins, 2. Tom Davies, 4. Oliver Gildart, 5. Joe Burgess, 6. George Williams 7. Sam Powell, 8. Tony Clubb, 9. Thomas Leuluai, 10. Ben Flower, 11. Joel Tomkins, 12. Liam Farrell, 13. Sean O’Loughlin, 14. John Bateman, 15. Ryan Sutton, 17. Taulima Tautai, 19. Willie Isa, 22. Liam Marshall, 25. Romain Navarrete, 34. Josh Woods.

The referee will be Robert Hicks.

Last 10 meetings:

St Helens 16, Wigan 26 (SLS8-R4, 1/9/17).

St Helens 22, Wigan 19 (SLR15, 25/5/17).

Wigan 29, St Helens 18 (SLR9, 14/4/17).

Wigan 25, St Helens 0 (SLS8-R3, 19/8/16).

Wigan 4, St Helens 23 (SLR23, 22/7/16).

St Helens 12, Wigan 24 (SLR7, 25/3/16).

St Helens 18, Wigan 14 (SLS8-R6, 18/9/15).

St Helens 30, Wigan 14 (SLR18, 12/6/15).

Wigan 12, St Helens 4 (SLR8, 3/4/15).

St Helens 14, Wigan 6 (SLGF, 11/10/14) (at Old Trafford, Manchester).

Our live blog of the game will be running from 1.45pm today.