DENIS Betts says Widnes Vikings will be without several of the team’s starting 13 when they tackle Wigan on Friday night.

But there will be a debut for loan signing from Leeds Jimmy Keinhorst, while winger Patrick Ah Van will be making a return to Super League after scoring a hat-trick against Coventry Bears on Saturday.

After the confidence booster of rattling in 90 unanswered points in the cup, the physical challenge posed by Wigan could not be more different.

To do so without Chris Houston, Krisnan Inu, Stef Marsh, Gil Dudson, Chris Dean and Joe Mellor makes that even tougher.

And after going 16 ahead at Wigan and then losing early on in the season, Betts knows his side will have to play at an intensity for the full 80 minutes to get something from this encounter.

He said: “Wigan are a pretty ruthless group.

“You have to play every single minute and can never put your cue in the rack and feel comfortable as both ourselves and Catalans have found to our cost.

“Ben Flower and Thomas Leuluai are going well and on the wings Liam Marshall and Joe Burgess are really destructive, and Sam Tomkins is really finding his feet.

“It is going to be a physical challenge and it will be about who wants to win that.

“Hopefully, too, we can get on the right side of the penalty count, something that never seems to happen against Wigan.”

The return of Ah Van will give Vikings a bit of a lift for a set starter and some finishing power.

The 30-year-old, who makes his second appearance after a long lay-off to a broken arm, said: “I’m really pleased to be back, and hopefully I can move on to bigger and better things.”

Meanwhile Keinhorst, who Betts describes as a good pro, is looking forward to his first game in a four-week loan spell Keinhorst, after joining up with the Vikings last week.

He said: “I’ve been here for over a week now and I’ve fitted in nicely.

“The lads and the coaching staff here have been really welcoming towards me.

“I’ve got a few sessions under my belt now and I’m ready to crack into this week.”

Keinhorst arrives at the Vikings with some top level experience in his locker, with Grand Final, Challenge Cup Final and World Club Challenge appearances with the Rhinos.

“I pride myself on doing the basics right and having a solid defensive game, and then build my attack on the back of that,” he said.

“I want to come and earn the respect of the boys and help them towards some points.”