Perth Glory boss Tony Popovic says the FFA Cup clash against Melbourne Victory will give him a good early indication where his side is at heading towards the new season.
Glory were handed a blockbuster tie against last season's Hyundai A-League champions after the draw for the 2018 FFA CUP Round of 32 on Tuesday night.
READ: The 4 big Round of 32 match-ups
READ: 2018 FFA Cup Round of 32 draw revealed
It's the first time Glory have been handed a home tie at this stage of the competition, in what will be a replay of the 2015 FFA Cup final.
"I'm delighted that we've been drawn at home first and foremost," Popovic said.
"It's exciting to be playing the reigning champions and the game will be a great test to see where we're at very early in our pre-season preparations.
"It's an exciting game that we're really looking forward to."
Tuesday's Round of 32 draw also featured two other WA clubs in the form of Armadale SC and Gwelup Croatia who were handed an away trip to Cairns FC and a home clash with Adelaide Comets respectively.
Here's how the draw went down at Glory HQ:
Glory already have a shared history with Victory in the FFA Cup.
The 2015 Final was won 2-0 by Victory at AAMI Park courtesy of first-half efforts from Oliver Bozanic and Besart Berisha.
The previous year, however, it was the men in purple who claimed the spoils, Andy Keogh (2), Danny De Silva and Nebojsa Marinkovic all finding the net in a dramatic 4-2 extra-time triumph at nib Stadium.
The Victory tie means that Glory has now drawn A-League opposition in the Round of 32 four times in the competition's five-year history, but the omens are encouraging as those three previous hurdles were all successfully negotiated.
