In the build-up to Wednesday night's clash at the Stade Velodrome, manager Arsene Wenger said his side had been given the "hardest group" of this year's competition.
It is easy to see why, given the quintet includes last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund, Rafael Benitez's Napoli and French giants Marseille.
The triumph on the French south coast could therefore prove vital, with Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey scoring the all-important goals in a hard-fought, if fortuitous, 2-1 victory.
That result, allied to Dortmund's 2-1 defeat in Naples, makes Wilshere believes that they cannot just progress from their group, but also win it.
"Dortmund losing does open it up a bit," the England midfielder said.
"We have got two home games now [against Napoli and Dortmund] and they are tough teams, but if we play to our full potential in front of our fans, we should be able to win those games.
"If we win them both, we are sitting on nine points going into the last three games and that is a good position to be in.
"We also have Dortmund and Napoli away and away games are always tough but we want to finish top of the group.
"In the first game, if you can't win it you make sure you don't lose it but we won so it is a great start.
Source: PA
Source: PA