Soccer-Winning Wanderers still in Sydney's shadow, says Arnold

SYDNEY, Oct 7 (Reuters) - The Western Sydney Wanderers are one step away from becoming the first Australian winners of the AFC Champions League but Sydney FC boss Graham Arnold is adamant the fledgling club remain firmly in their shadow. The Wanderers face Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in the two-legged final of the continental tournament later this month after knocking out holders Guangzhou Evergrande, last year's runners up FC Seoul and Japanese champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima en route. It is a remarkable achievement by the Wanderers, who were only founded in 2012 following the demise of Gold Coast United and had to play the entire knockout stages outside of the Australian season. They kick off the new A-League campaign on Friday at the Melbourne Victory with Arnold believing the Wanderers, who reached the final in both their previous seasons, remained the capital's smaller club despite their impressive beginnings. "It's great for the A-League what the Wanderers have done by reaching the final," Arnold told AAP on Tuesday. "That makes them the team to beat, but for me Sydney FC, along with Melbourne Victory are the biggest clubs in the country. "We have the second-biggest support, an average of 19,000. The Wanderers had 14,000 last year, so there is a bit of a misconception there. "We want to be holding up the trophy at the Opera House at the end of the season." Arnold is Sydney's ninth coach in 10 A-League seasons, hoping to turn around the twice champions fortunes after they only managed a fifth-place finish in the 10-team division last season. However, he will have to do so without Italian great Alessandro Del Piero, who brought an end to his two-year stint and joined Delhi Dynamos in August. Sydney FC host Melbourne City, boosted by the on-loan arrival of former Spain and Barcelona striker David Villa, on Saturday before the Sydney derby the following week. Wanderers striker Mark Bridge said the lengthy pre-season to cater for the Champions League demands would help his side hit the ground running against the Victory and then Arnold's Sydney. "People have been saying it's difficult for us due to the travel and the changing time zones," he said of the ACL schedule. "It has been tough and we've had a lot of games, but in a 12-week pre-season that is a good thing. We want to play as many games as possible to hit the ground running." (Writing by Patrick Johnston in Singapore; Editing by John O'Brien)