Tonight the Wanderers host Wellington Phoenix for the second time in succession at Campbelltown Stadium in the Round of 32, with Western Sydney 3-2 victors in 2016.

The match will see players from both teams wear black armbands as a sign of respect following the death of football broadcast icon Les Murray on Monday.

Wanderers defender Robbie Cornthwaite said the home team will be looking to kick-start their 2017/18 campaign with a win with the ultimate goal being silverware.

“It’s a competition Western Sydney hasn’t won and we want to go as far as possible,” he told FourFourTwo.

“Tonight is obviously a massive game for us and we are taking this competition very seriously and we want to win.

“In the short history of the competition Western Sydney hasn’t been able to reach a final or the last four, so it’s important that we give a good showing of ourselves, we definitely have the quality and it’s a competition we want to do well in.”

Several of the Wanderers key players such as marquee man Nicolas Martinez, Terry Antonis, Mitch Nichols and Dimas Delgado departed during the off-season.

In their place are a mixture of overseas imports such as Oriol Riera (Deportivo Coruna), Alvaro Cejudo (Real Betis) as well experienced Australians Josh Risdon, Michael Thwaite and the returning Mark Bridge.

Cornthwaite believes the team will benefit from the squad being assembled so close to the beginning of pre-season.

“We’ve spoken about how this is the earliest that Western Sydney Wanders has gotten a complete squad together,” he said.

“We have had a few guys that have been here only for a weeks and other guys who have been here for a month or two already.

“But everyone at the club is excited about the squad that we have put together and there is no emphasis on anyone player, so it’s up to everyone to play their best football."

Two new players Cornthwaite is excited about are former Aston Villa defender Chris Herd and Wellington Phoenix midfield dynamo Roly Bonevacia.

“Obviously with Herd coming back home it’s going to be the first time a lot of Australian football fans have seen him play here,” he said.

“He’s fitted in here very well. He’s obviously an experienced player and he’s played at a high level and he’s added a lot of quality to our squad.

“And with Roly coming across from Wellington we’ve got plenty of attacking talent there. Those guys in the attacking half of the field have got their roles to play and hopefully we can score plenty of goals and do well again.”