Zulte Waregem v Wigan Athletic, Europa League: Where to Watch Live, Preview and Team News

Wigan Athletic begin their European campaign with a trip to Belgium to face Zulte Waregem in the Europa League on Thursday.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 6pm BST. Live Coverage will be available on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD.

Overview

Zulte Waregem finished second in the Belgian league last season and were given an opportunity to qualify for the Champions League which they squandered after losing to PSV Eindoven in the third qualifying round. However, the Belgians learnt from their mistakes in the qualifiers for the Europa, where they secured a 3-2 victory in aggregate over Cypriot side APOEL to qualify for the group stages.

The Belgians will be confident of pulling one over the Championship side but have to address problems of their own after they were handed a 5-2 bashing at the hands of Genk last weekend. Francky Dury's side have not been able to hit their stride thus far, winning only two of their last five games and losing one. Waregem are currently fifth in the league and will be looking for a win here to get their season back on track.

Wigan's journey to Europe has been full of ups and downs with the Latics pulling off a shock win over Manchester City in the finals of the FA Cup to qualify for Europe. However, a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal two days later banished them into relegation which also saw their manager Roberto Martinez transfer to Everton to replace David Moyes.

Wigan have had a terrible start to their Championship campaign under former Bolton manager Owen Coyle, winning only two of their first six Championship fixtures. Their last game in the league ended in 2-0 loss to Leicester City but Coyle will be willing his team to leave their disappointments behind and secure three points, which will go a long way in helping them qualify for the round of 16.

What the Managers Say

Francky Dury: "The whole of Belgium respects the job we're doing here and the way we bring on youngsters and give them their chance. That's why we've been able to hang on to Thorgan Hazard and Junior Malanda."

Owen Coyle: "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. 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."

Form Guide

Zulte Waregem