James Perch has said that he is looking forward to the challenge of playing in the Europa League with Wigan Athletic.

The Latics will make their first appearance in European football when they travel to Belgium to face SV Zulte Waregem.

Perch is one of the few Wigan players with experience in the competition having featured for Newcastle last season, and he believes that his knowledge will be invaluable to the Championship side.

"I've played in the Europa League so I'll know a little bit what to expect in terms of refereeing, the opposition crowds and so on," he told Wigan Today.

"The players are a lot more technical on the continent, which we'll have to get to grips with, and I found it an interesting challenge.

"There will be an element of surprise that we'll have to contend with, but it probably works both ways. Hopefully we can go there and get the three points to get the campaign off to a flying start."

Wigan earned their place in the competition by beating Manchester City in last season's FA Cup final.