Wasps Netball's Mel Mansfield believes the Vitality Netball Superleague will be stronger this season - but is confident her side will be up to the challenge.
The two-time league winners begin their 2019 campaign against Loughborough Lightning on Saturday, January 5, live on Sky Sports.
The fixture is part of Super 10 which will see all 10 Superleague teams competing on the same day - the five back-to-back matches will start the new term with a bang at Arena Birmingham.
If the defending champions are able to go all the way again in 2019 then they would become the first side in league history to win three successive league titles.
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Mansfield is entering her first season as a Superleague head coach following two seasons as assistant coach to Tamsin Greenway.
She says her team are focusing on improving every day but the initial target has to be a top-four finish.
"The first title was a sweet victory, in year two the pressure was off a bit, but at the moment we're not thinking about a third title," said Mansfield.
"We are seeing consistent improvements in training and in the last few sessions you can really see connections developing with our new players.
"We're really excited about our new goal attacks Tamsin Moala, Katie Harris and Chloe Essam. They all have the ability to challenge for a spot in our starting seven.
"The first challenge is to reach the play-off semi-final. Of course we want to win that third title, but we have got to put in the hard work to get there."
>When Wasps meet Lightning it will be a rematch of last season's Grand Final and will see the two teams meet at Arena Birmingham for the second time.
The two sides' first clash at the venue came in the 2017 Grand Final, with Wasps winning 55-51 and taking home the Superleague trophy, history then repeated itself at London's Copper Box Arena.
Lightning are also under new leadership this season having appointed former England international Sara Bayman as their director of netball.
Bayman, who is taking up her first major coaching role, has succeeded the outgoing Anna Carter and has Olivia Murphy as her assistant manager and Karen Atkinson MBE in a coaching mentorship capacity at the franchise.
Despite changes in their playing and coaching personnel, Mansfield believes rivals Lightning will be a force once again this season.
"Of course they're going to be good, they always are. Sara will no doubt get her team playing some great netball," noted Wasps' head coach.
"We've had back-to-back finals against Lightning, and now we're playing them in our first fixture. It's a very exciting fixture, a good opening test for us and I'm sure it will be a crowd-pleaser.
"We always love Super 10, it's a great showcase of the Superleague and we're looking forward to getting out there on the court."
A huge 2019 will feature another thrilling Vitality Superleague which starts with the Super 10 on Saturday January 5, live on Sky Sports. Sky Sports will also show every game live of the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup, July 12-21.