Source: Eurosport
Melchiot: We're not ready for Europe
Wigan skipper Mario Melchiot does not believe that Steve Bruce's eighth-placed troops are ready to compete with the best teams in Europe.
The Latics will almost certainly secure a place in the new-look Europa League if they manage to leapfrog West Ham and finish the season in seventh place.
Bruce has urged his team to keep fighting for a European place but Melchiot is more sceptical, saying that the Wigan squad is not yet prepared for a European campaign.
"I never thought that this was the ideal target for us. It's nice to talk about it but you have to be ready for it and I don't feel we are," he told the Daily Express.
"This is my second season with Wigan and it's the most comfortable I've been here. To push forward we need at least another season or two to make sure we stay that comfortable. Then we can start to look at different targets.
"Don't get me wrong, I'd love to play in Europe but I'm being realistic."
Wigan will face one of Europe's elite sides when they host Arsenal at the JJB Stadium on Saturday.Melchiot is wary of the threat Arsene Wenger's team pose, believing that Wigan will have to perform at the best of their abilities to get anything from the match.
"Arsenal are one of the best technical teams in the league," said Melchiot.
"They have speed and intelligence. We know anything less than 100 per cent from us means we'll be in for a very difficult afternoon."
