Wigan Athletic striker Franco Di Santo has expressed his belief that teams will not underestimate his side this season, which could make the upcoming campaign even harder.

At one point during last season, the Latics looked certain to go down, but a run of remarkable results, including wins against the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal, saw them climb their way to safety.

However, Di Santo now believes that they have lost the element of surprise, and that they will have a tough season ahead.

"I think this season now is going to be even tougher now that teams will not underestimate us after what we did last year, and maybe some of the big teams we defeated will all be looking for revenge, so we have to be ready for that," he told the club's official website.

"Perhaps they will take greater precaution against us and be more aware of what we are capable of, so we need to be even better in our preparations and approach to every game.

"We are ready to accept that challenge and want to get the new season underway to show people what we're capable of and see if we can push even higher up the table."

Di Santo joined Wigan from Chelsea in 2010, and has since scored eight goals in 61 games for the club.