And he plans to help Latics to a sixth consecutive league victory, his main objective rather than any sense of revenge.
De Zeeuw told the Evening Post: "I had some great times at Portsmouth, getting promoted in the first season and then playing for two seasons in the Premiership.
"The fans liked me and I don't think I will get a bad reception there on Saturday – I hope not anyway!
"In the end I had to leave there after three years, and so far the move back here to Wigan has worked out well.
"I had a chat with Alain Perrin in the summer and the vibe I got from it was that he wouldn't mind looking for a young French defender.
"He didn't really give me an honest answer if I was going to be playing or not, and in pre-season I hardly played a game.
"Before then I had been playing well and enjoying it, and I didn't want to end up on the bench most of the time.
"They did offer me another year on my contract but as I wasn't going to be playing much, I asked him if he would consider letting me go.
"They did that, and I don't bear any ill feeling towards them.
"I was pleased for Portsmouth as a club that they got a good result at Sunderland on Saturday.
"Perrin and myself probably aren't going to be the best of friends – you don't have to be in this game – but I have a lot of affinity for the club and the players there."
De Zeeuw sealed a move back to Latics in the week leading up to the start of the season and has been an ever-present in the Premiership.
And with the club sitting second in the table with 22 points from 10 games, it's
no surprise to learn the 35-year-old is loving his second spell with them.
He said: "I left Wigan three years ago when my contract came to an end.
"They offered me a new one but we were still in the Second Division then and I knew I had to make the step up sooner rather than later because I wasn't the youngest player.
"I had to make that decision even though I loved it here – it was a tough one but I wanted to go higher.
"This summer when the time came to leave Portsmouth, there was other interest but I knew Paul Jewell well and I wanted to stay in the Premiership."
Meanwhile, Jewell has urged Latics supporters not to give any more publicity to football pundit Rodney Marsh.
The former player-turned-critic claimed before the season that the club would win no more than seven games in the Premiership, and if his prediction was wrong, he would sit in a set of stocks in the centre of Wigan.
Jewell said: "If I was sat on a panel before the season, I'd have looked at Wigan, Sunderland, perhaps West Ham and West Brom, and said three of those four would be relegated.
"But some people dismissed us out of hand and showed a lack of respect – I didn't like that.
"This team, whatever you think of them, deserve respect for what they have done.
"I would urge people in Wigan that if a certain someone is going to go in the stocks, don't bother to turn up because without publicity, he is a no-mark."
Latics' Carling Cup clash against Newcastle at the JJB will be shown live on Sky Sports on Wednesday, November 30, kick-off 7.45pm.