Paul Cook wants Wigan to try and learn from the success of his former club Norwich City.

The Latics boss, who made six appearances in the top flight for the Canaries as a young winger in the late 1980s, will be doing his best to disrupt the leaders’ push for the Premier League though.

“I enjoy the challenges of the bigger games and the fact there’s going to be a big crowd,” he said ahead of Sunday’s clash.

“For sure, in a very short space of time Norwich will get all the accolades, but not from me today! They are having an outstanding season, they will get to where they want to be, which is a fantastic achievement. But on Sunday we’ll be trying our best to beat them to get the points that we need to maintain what we’re trying to achieve.”

The Latics came up as League One champions but sit just two points clear of the bottom three after one win in their last 11 games, following a 2-1 loss at Hull in midweek.

“The fundamental observation from everyone is the fact you’ve moved up a league,” Cook continued. “We were capable of taking all before us last year, unfortunately we’ve now moved into deeper waters and within them deeper waters, there’s bigger fish – and those fish can eat you.

“At home, it is what it is, we’re looking forward to it, there’s going to be a big crowd at the DW, I’m sure it’ll be a good game for everybody to watch. For ourselves now it’s about who’s available, who’s fit and how can we get points that will see us achieve what we want.”

PRESS CONFERENCE RECAP: Wigan Athletic v Norwich City

The Latics are hopeful that key midfielder Nick Powell will be available after coming off at half-time at Hull but former Canaries winger Anthony Pilkington is a doubt after missing the game as injuries continue to disrupt his career.

Speaking to iFollow Wigan, he added: “Enjoyed Norwich, fantastic city, great club, had some fantastic years, a Premier League club for sure. Great infrastructure down there, it’s great to see the way the model is going in terms of young, energetic players who can all handle a ball and play.

“That normally leads to a little bit of success and it’s something that clubs like ourselves have got to be looking towards doing.”