The Wanderers were the talk of the 2012/13 A-League season as they stunned the competition in their first year, finishing on top of the ladder to win the Premier's Plate, before reaching the grand final, only to lose to Central Coast Mariners.
 
But while big crowds and success will ensure Western Sydney won't fly under the radar in 2013/14, Popovic, who regularly argued last season that there were no limits to what his team could achieve, has claimed his expectations will remain the same at Wanderland.
 
"I don't think there will be extra pressure on this group internally," Popovic said. "Externally I am sure the pressures will be different and expectations different from the outside.
 
"But it's up to us to handle that. I would much rather have that concern; trying to back up something that we've done so well and that's the challenge that we have."
 
Western Sydney barely got their squad together before their opening season with marquee midfielder Shinji Ono joining the club on September 28, just days before their opening A-League match versus the Mariners.
 
This season is completely different as Popovic has 22 players signed and, having already played two friendlies ahead of tonight's trial match against Wellington Phoenix, the Wanderers coach reckons his team will be even better in 2013/14.
 
"It's nice to have the group together at such an early stage," Popovic said. "We're working on things a lot earlier as a group and we're quietly confident that can help us throughout the year.
 
"Six weeks in, the players are doing well. We still have a long way to go until the start of the season.
 
"We are just building them up slowly and getting some game time into the players to try and be ready for that first game."
 
The Wanderers' opening match of the new campaign will be a rematch of last season's grand final against the Mariners in Gosford on October 12.