Harry Smith states Wigan Warriors will have to be at their best to claim a victory against St Helens in the Good Friday Derby

The two teams go head-to-head at the DW Stadium this week in the Good Friday Derby (K.O. 3pm).

Smith states a victory would generate confidence going forward, but knows Wigan will have to be at their best to overcome their rivals.

He said: “These games are really important, and are special for us as a team- as well as the town.

“You can feel that the build-up this week is different.

“We know it’s going to be a big game, with a massive crowd, so it’s definitely something that we can feel in the air.

“These are the fixtures you want to play in as a kid, and you can imagine yourself being a part of it.

“It’s massive for myself and for the whole team.

“This is my first Good Friday game, so it’s exciting.

“I’ve been lucky enough to be involved against Saints at different stadiums, but there’s a few of us who haven’t experienced this particular fixture.

“It’s one we are looking forward to.

“When you play St Helens there’s just an atmosphere from the start of the game, even when you’re warming-up.

“You know you’ve got to be on it for the full 80 minutes if you want to get a win against them.

“They are definitely still the benchmark team in Super League with what they’ve done over the last few years.

“We know we’ve got to be near our best if we want a win.

“We know they’ll bring their best, so we want to do the same.

“It’s just about gaining confidence from playing well against good teams.

“Getting wins builds momentum, and you go into training happy.

“A victory on Friday would bring a lot of factors, but we know we’ve got to get the job done first.”

The Warriors head into this game on the back of a 34-6 victory over the Leopards in last week’s Battle of the Borough.

“It was a very good win for the lads,” Smith added.

“We edged it in the first half and managed to post some points after the break.

“It was really good because we managed to score some nice tries and it was a confidence builder for the team.

“We knew our attack was there, it was just about being able to show it again.

“It was the first of three big games against local teams, so if we can keep that confidence high then it will put us in good stead.

“I’m always learning in that halfback role, you never can not be.

“It’s been good to get some good performances in this year, especially last week, because as a team we gelled a bit more and were able to express ourselves to score.”

Matty Peet’s side will be without a number of key players on Friday.

Jai Field and Cade Cust are both absent through injury, while Willie Isa also misses the fixture after being handed a one match penalty notice.

Iain Thornley, Junior Nsemba and Tom Forber all come into the 21-man squad to replace them.