Wednesday 15 October 2014 14:12, UK
Callum McManaman appreciates there will be an added edge to Wigan's clash with Brentford this weekend.
Uwe Rosler will meet his former club for the first time since leaving for Latics in December and while his exit may have been amicable at the time, there has been bad blood between the two this summer.
Wigan's long, drawn-out pursuit of midfielder Adam Forshaw angered the Bees, who felt they were being low-balled by offers which did not meet their valuation.
Forshaw eventually moved to the DW Stadium on deadline day but the protracted transfer will still be fresh in the minds when Brentford make the trip to Wigan this Saturday.
There will be a spice to it and the atmosphere should be good with a few tackles going in. I love these games.
"There will be a spice to it and the atmosphere should be good with a few tackles going in. I love these games," McManaman admitted on his club's official website.
Rosler's side have started this campaign in sluggish fashion, with two wins in 11 league games leaving them just above the bottom three.
However, there were encouraging signs in draws with Nottingham Forest and Wolves before the international break, and McManaman is aiming for maximum points from the next two games against Brentford and Millwall.
"I think the target has to be six points from the Saturday and Tuesday games and then we can kick on from then really," he added.
"I don't think it'll be the same team every game, we'll probably mix it up a bit because it's a tough period with three games in seven days. Hopefully we get two good wins at home and then go into the Derby game with a bit of confidence.
"I think it will be tough to do what we did last year where we came so good so late on.
"I don't think it will be as simple to do that again this year so we know we need to start picking up now so we don't leave too much to do later on in the season."
