Patrick McEleney insists Derry City can handle the pressure of trying to derail Shamrock Rovers in their four-in-a-row pursuit.
And the captain warned the Hoops that there is more to come, claiming their 13-point winning margin last season was not a true reflection of the Candystripes' potential.
The reigning league champions and FAI Cup winners lock horns again in Friday night's curtain-raising President’s Cup at the Ryan McBride Brandywell (7.45pm). Rovers could be missing up to seven first-team regulars so, no matter the outcome, neither side will be claiming that markers have been put down for the year ahead.
Read next: Kyle Lafferty opens up on 10-game ban for sectarian slur and Kilmarnock regrets
But Derry skipper McEleney is confident that the runaway FAI Cup winners are better-placed to launch a sustained title challenge this season.
In 2022, Derry led the league for 10-weeks before a mid-season run of seven games without a win knocked them off course.
They eventually finished 13-points behind the three-in-a-row champions but their Cup success has given them a timely taste for silverware.
Rovers did exactly that in 2019 when they won their first trophy - also the FAI Cup - under Stephen Bradley and it was the spur they needed to become the league's kingpins.
And McEleney insists Derry will be a bigger force to be reckoned with - especially so when new striker Colm Whelan returns from his ACL in about two months from now.
