Just 168 days after Melbourne Victory lifted the A-League championship trophy they meet their cross-town rivals Melbourne City in the Victorian capital's derby, a match that highlights the opening round of the 2018/19 A-League season.
The champions didn't waste any time this offseason, bolstering their squad with the signing of former A.C. Milan midfielder Keisuke Honda and Swedish International Ola Toivonen to their already powerful lineup.
Both of the signings played and scored in this year's World Cup and Honda is the first Japanese player to score in three FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Across town at Melbourne City, the signings haven't been as well documented but they did add classy attacker Riley McGree to their ranks; he scored the famous scorpion goal against City in last season's semi-final.