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Key Western Sydney Wanderers pair Romeo Castelen and new signing Andreu believe their side will be every bit the contender this season despite spending most of last season languishing near the bottom of the table.
The Wanderers kick off their campaign at home against Brisbane Roar on Thursday night at Parramatta Stadium and do so with arguably the league's biggest question mark hanging over them.
Coach Tony Popovic has been incredibly bullish about his belief in the squad and that confidence is clearly radiating among the players, who are determined to prove their third season slump was an aberration.
"It's a new season with new expectations and a totally new group with a totally new playing style, but we're aiming for the highest position and that's the number one spot," Castelen said before the club's final pre-match training session on Wednesday. "We're working every day with a coach that has certain standards and demands from the players. All the players want to work very hard and raise the standards from what the club was doing in the years before.
"We want to achieve top spot, but we know it's not coming from talking. It will come from actions on the pitch. We have to do the work out there."
Andreu was equally optimistic about what he believed the club was capable of over the next seven months.
"I think the target must be a title win, if we can play good games with a good style," he said. "But the first game we must win in our own stadium. If we win I'm sure we'll get that passion and confidence. We have a very good team and a win will make everything easier."
In spite of what happened last season, the Spaniard said he'd arrived at a club bearing no scars.
"I cannot compare because I wasn't here last season but the last season was clearly difficult. But in this season, the atmosphere is very positive," he said. "Many players are new, the staff as well, and we are excited to start with a good win in front of our fans."
Despite having made the grand final in each of their first two seasons, the Wanderers have never won in round one and were routed 4-1 last season by Melbourne Victory at Etihad Stadium, a result they never recovered from.
"I think it's great to be at home and hopefully we can get off to a good start this season," Castelen said. "We're very confident, we had a good pre-season and so everybody is very motivated for this game and to have a good campaign."
Following an unimaginably congested schedule last season, punctuated by relentless travel around Asia and participation in December's Club World Cup, it comes as some relief for the Wanderers to simply focus on one competition this season
"This year we can really focus on the A-League but the goal is still to be in this type of competition, because if you're part of the Champions League, it means you're successful," Castelen said. "This year we want to achieve [qualification] again. If we have a good campaign here, we'll be part of it again. That's our standard this year."
Having played with Barcelona B and, most recently, Racing Santander, in the Segunda Division, Andreu believes the A-League is very much comparable to the competition one tier below arguably the world's best.
"The mentality in Spain is different, sometimes it's more about keeping the ball and try to keep calm in your reactions," he said. "I've played just three A-League [pre-season] games but from the first minute, the level of intensity and physicality is higher. But the players have very good quality and technique - it can compare with Spanish second division for sure."
