Albirex Niigata (S) custodian Yosuke Nozawa is hoping his side can build on their excellent start to the 2015 Great Eastern Yeo's S.League as they bid to be crowned champions for the first time ever.
Since joining the S.League in 2004, Albirex have established themselves as one of the competition's stronger teams and have regularly challenged for top honours.
However, to date, the only piece of silverware they have managed to claim remains the Singapore League Cup back in 2011.
Already this year, they have emerged as genuine title contenders after winning five of their opening eight matches to sit second on the table.
And following last week's 0-0 draw with Home United, Nozawa believes it is imperative the White Swans get back to winning ways against Hougang United at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Friday if they are to remain on course to winning the title.
"If we are to win the S.League, it is important that we always pick up maximum points against teams in the bottom half," Nozawa told ESPN FC.
"But we must remember that the season is long and we haven't won anything yet.
"We just have to keep improving and ensure we are always up there challenging for top spot.
"I came to Singapore to win trophies and it won't be an easy season, especially when you have injuries and suspensions, but we will do our best."
While Albirex have traditionally had fairly young teams as they look to provide young Japanese footballers with an avenue to play professional football, this year's squad has a lot more experience as the club look to mount a real title challenge.
With over 200 appearances in the J.League, Nozawa remains the team's most-experienced player by a fair bit and he reveals he relishes the chance to share his knowledge with his younger team-mates.
"Every day, I try to share what I know with the younger players," the 35-year-old explained.
"But because it's a young team, I cannot just share everything I know at one time as it becomes difficult to absorb.
"For them, playing games is most important as it provides them with real experience and helps them grow up."
Although they enter Friday's clash against the second-from-bottom Hougang as favourites, Albirex will be aware that they had a poor record against their upcoming opponents in 2014.
In their two meetings last season, the Cheetahs emerged triumphant on both occasions after claiming 3-1 and 1-0 victories against the Japanese outfit.
Albirex Niigata (S) Probable Lineup: Yosuke Nozawa, Mikiya Yamada, Takahiro Saito, Kento Fujihara, Itsuki Yamada, Hikaru Mizuno, Shun Inaba, Fumiya Kogure, Kento Nagasaki, Rion Taki, Shotaro Ihata.
Hougang United Probable Lineup: Basil Chan, Lau Meng Meng, Yuki Uchiyama, Kunihiro Yamashita, Faiz Salleh, Fairoz Hasan, Shunsuke Nakatake, Nurhilmi Jasni, Fareez Farhan, Manato Takahashi, Chupe.