The A-League side were not at full strength when goals from Steve Corica and Ufuk Talay proved enough to defeat China Super League giants Shanghai Shenhua in Shanghai.

And, with players set to return from injury, Culina is confident his side can play better still when they take on J League champions Urawa Reds.

"We have about 40% of improvement left in us and even the ones that played well will get better because of what we are working on," Culina said.

"I was happy with the team but I looked at it afterwards and thought, imagine how much better it will be when players X, Y and Z reach their potential.

"The first half was superb, some great goals, some terrific play. We probably overdid it with some of our passing, but we've been encouraging the team to play that style of game.

"So if they make a mistake you can't get too cranky about it, but you need to tidy that up a little because good sides should not lose possession too much.

"We will know against Urawa Reds at home whether we have a genuine chance of getting through the group stage or not because there is no doubt they will be the biggest test for us."