Sydney FC captain Rhyan Grant insists his side are out to spoil Socceroo Craig Goodwin's welcome home party as they look to put last season's disappointing campaign behind them.
The Sky Blues take on Adelaide United in the A-League Men season opener on Friday October 17.
But their eyes are fixed on the Reds' star signing who returns from a two-year stint in the Saudi Pro League.
Grant said Goodwin will be Adelaide's "go-to man", so nullifying him is key to starting off on the right foot.
"I thought I had had enough of Craig, it's probably his fourth or fifth stint back at Adelaide, so it's great to have him back in the league," Grant told reporters at the Sky Blues season launch on Friday.
"He's obviously a great player and has done so many good things, not only for the national team but also for the A-League.
"Our big focus is defence at the moment, making sure that we get him nullified.
Sydney FC had a disappointing end to last season, missing out on finals despite being tipped as one of the teams to win the title.
During the off-season they also lost some big names including Brazilian midfielder Douglas Costa, goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne and Socceroo Anthony Caceres.
However, Grant believes the off-season recruitment of experienced heads such as former Western United captain Ben Garuccio and ex-Ligue 1 player Marcel Tisserand, will propel them back into the finals.
The 34-year-old said defence has been a key focus of the 17-week pre-season, after the Sky Blues leaked 46 goals last campaign.
"It does feel like a bit of a freshen up, we lost some really good players," Grant said.
"Even at the ripe old age of 34, I feel pretty fresh and will give it another crack.
"We've always been able to score goals, so that's no problem. We've still got some great quality up front and in the midfield to do that.
"We brought up some players that are really good defensively.
"We've got a few experienced players that help me a lot, people to lean on, people to help make decisions and different things around the change room."
Coach Ufuk Talay said greater depth is giving him the belief the side can go all the way.
"One thing that we definitely learned last year was that we needed that depth, and I think we've created that environment this year where we've doubled up and tripled up in some positions across the park," Talay said.
"The first four games are very important for us ... if we can pick up maximum points in the first four games, that would be great."
