Manager Stephen Robinson believes it will be a tough game against Southend United, as is every game in this division.
Latics face the Shrimpers at SportsDirect.com Park tomorrow afternoon (3pm kick off) and he admits Southend are in good form but wants to concentrate on his side’s own performance.
He said: “They have only lost one in their last 12 games so they are on a very good run at the moment.
"Phil Brown has got them playing well and he’s had a lot of time to gel a really good squad together. They have got high ambitions this season but we are confident in our preparation for them.
"We know Nile Ranger is a big threat upfront. He is a big target man and played at higher levels so we have to take care of that.
“Ultimately if we match the physicality and concentrate on our own performance then that is more important.”
Robinson’s men beat Walsall in the Checkatrade Trophy during midweek and he now wants to transform that form into the league.
“Our performances have been okay, we have created a hell of a lot of chances but the simple fact is we haven’t converted chances into goals so we need to start doing that and picking up results soon."
In terms of team news, Ousmane Fane will miss the game through suspension but the gaffer will welcome back an experienced man back to the team.
“Ous is a going to be a miss,” he said. “We know what he brings to the team and he has raw attributes.
"He is big, strong, quick but needs to work on lots of aspects of his game. He provides a solid base in midfield and he breaks play up better than anybody I’ve ever worked with.
"We have Paul Green back tomorrow as we rested him midweek. Marc Klok is still not 100% fit, Lee Erwin still has a slight groin injury at the moment so he will be touch and go but we will assess that.”
Watch the full interview on Latics PlayerHD.