The FFA Cup round-of-32 draw has paired together relics of Australian football’s historic past with current A-League sides.
Former NSL champions South Melbourne will host A-League title holders Melbourne City in a blockbuster tie.
It is one of several mouth-watering matches that involves previous Australian glamour clubs against A-League opposition.
South Melbourne have struggled this season for goals in the VIC NPL but there is still enough quality in Harrison Sawyer, Marco Jankovic and Daniel Clarke plus the likelihood of a 10,000-plus crowd to make life difficult for the club with endless financial backing, Melbourne City.
Sydney Olympic, another trophy-laden NSL club, will host the A-League’s most successful outfit, Sydney FC.
Olympic are preciously sitting in the mid-table logjam that is engulfing the NSW NPL. They do however have some very talented players in Mohamed Adam, Jason Madonis and the tough-tackling Brendan Cholakian that could make life difficult for their cross-town A-League counterpart.
(Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
One all-A-League round-of-32 FFA Cup match is guaranteed, with Wellington Phoenix to meet either the Newcastle Jets or Western United, who meet each other next month in an FFA Cup qualifier after finishing in the bottom four of the recently completed A-League season.
The other FFA Cup qualifier is between Perth Glory and Melbourne Victory, with the winner of that match to travel to South Australia to meet another ex-NSL championship-winning club, Adelaide City.
City currently lead the SA NPL with the talented Aladin Irabona attracting interest from A-League scouts and dead-ball specialist Nicholas Bucco running the midfield.
FFA Cup holders Adelaide United will have a tricky trip to Western Australia to meet NPL club Floreat Athena.
Athena is celebrating their 70th anniversary as a club and they are the current leaders in the WA NPL and they will be very dangerous to Adelaide’s vulnerable defence with the enigmatic Christopher Salderis and Jawad Rezai up top.
In terms of other potential upsets, the Central Coast Mariners will have their work cut out against Blacktown City.
City are sitting pretty in position number one in the NSW PL. They are the highest scoring team with Travis Major in contention for the top-scorer award and they have a good supporting cast with the likes of Mario Shabow and Lachlan Campbell.
Western Sydney Wanderers travel to the NNSW PL top side Broadmeadow Magic. Magic are currently scoring goals for fun and are very resolute in defence.
(Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
The Wanderers would be wise to not take this team lightly, especially when it consists of the in-form James Virgili, Mitchell Oxenborro and John Majurovski.
Brisbane Roar have perhaps the toughest assignment out of any A-League club this round, being drawn against QLD NPL leader and the best NPL team in the country, Pennisula Power.
The Power possesses the goal-scoring abilities of Andy Pengally, who is not only the highest scoring player in the QLD NPL, but of any NPL side nationally with 19 goals already this season.
They are a side that is averaging more than three goals a game while conceding barely one every two matches played and Pengally has a good supporting cast around him with Joshua Woodley, Sam Cronin and Brenton Fox.
Teams in the round of 32 have been divided into four zones due to border restrictions from COVID.
The winner of this year’s FFA Cup will have the chance to qualify for the 2022 AFC Champions League.
FFA Cup Round of 32 draw
Zone 1
Sydney Olympic versus Sydney FC
Broadmeadow Magic versus Western Sydney Wanderers
Tigers FC versus Apia Leichhardt
Blacktown City versus Central Coast Mariners
Mt Druitt Town Rangers versus Wollongong Wolves
Newcastle Olympic versus Macarthur FC
Zone 2
Lions FC versus Casuarina FC
Edge Hill United versus Gold Coast Knights
Peninsula Power versus Brisbane Roar
Zone 3
Newcastle Jets/Western United versus Wellington Phoenix
Avondale FC versus Devonport City
Hume City versus Port Melbourne
South Melbourne versus Melbourne City
Zone 4
ECU Joondalup versus Adelaide Olympic
Adelaide City versus Perth Glory/Melbourne Victory
Floreat Athena versus Adelaide United
Josh
Guest
The mighty Blacktown City will make news all over the place from Perth to Wellington when they see the likes of Major, Rooney, Shabow - the list just goes on and on. There are a lot of happy people around the club at the moment.
Popavalium Andropoff
Guest
Glory simply MUST beat Victory - an old school match against Adelaide City would be mental!
Justin Mahon
Roar Rookie
I've never seen an analysis of player quality that accounted for changing visa / transfer rules nd competition from the emerging football economies of Asia and Nth America in addition to minutes played, results (individual and team), club/league etc? Much talk about the quality of players across eras in largely nostalgic, agenda driven nonsense. A lot of former greats even acknowledge it is a meaningless comparison often.
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
Andy, I think you'll find that Floreat Athena are in a bit of a slump in the WA NPL, losing their past 3 games. Scoring 2 and conceding 7. Yes they are currently top but not travelling well. Won't be an easy match for the REDs but they should get through. This is the round where if any of the A League sides are going to fail, this is the time of year it will happen.
Micko
Roar Rookie
No really the evidence you're looking for Kozz. They were a golden generation, regardless of what was happening in Australia. Kewell was in England by age 16, and I think Cahill at 18? The main problem with the A league Kozz is it's been way too limited, with just 8-10 franchises for a decade plus, and far too many 26-38 year old average "journeymen" type players being recycled.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Robbie Slater won a premiership with Blackburn, could you imagine him getting a run at man City today. Please......
Punter
Roar Rookie
Do you think Emmo could play in the Premier league today with all the Africans, Sth Americans & Eastern Europeans. Both Del Piero & Emerton played in the A-league at the end of their career, both had lost their legs, but with Del Piero, you could see the class, Emo, na saw nothing that showed me he was quality it was all physical ability.
Punter
Roar Rookie
I ask you are they that much better then the current crop of Australians. I was in Germany 2006 for the world cup & after I spoke to the Brazilian supporters & said how well did we play. They said , ‘ they not good enough, not much skills’. I watched the game live & later saw the replay & understood what they meant, Viduka, Kewell yes. Bresc v Mooy, pretty similar, the rest would they play at the highest level today? Na not skillful enough. These guys were my heroes, but lets face facts.
Roberto Bettega
Roar Rookie
Even Emo was playing Premier League at the time. And someone like Skoko, who didn't play an game in that WC, was playing Premier League the following year. It's quite extraordinary really.
Micko
Roar Rookie
The A League has been a failure with only 8-10 teams for over a decade and a half. Look how much better already the A League is with 12 franchises. It should ideally be 14-16 franchises to get enough young aussie kids through.
Kozz
Roar Rookie
Our Gold Gen included: Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka, Tim Cahill, Mark Schwarzer, Mark Bresciano, Lucas Neill, Craig Moore, Tony Popovic, Scott Chipperfield, Vince Grella, Stan Lazaridis, and John Aloisi. Perhaps you'd like to research where these guys played ..club & level of competition etc....as compared to where our current crop plays.
Midfielder
Roar Guru
My old team was Blacktown and Blacktown is were many former Mariners learnt their skills... Matty Ryan, Musty, Abini....our first coach in Macca played there... I used to go to Gabbie stadium and watch them play when I lived in Marayong... Looks like Cov is going to step in .... looking forward to this game... Blacktown have the best kits IMO all black, socks, shorts and shirts with a red number on the back.... and a the club has excellent food for a club...
Grem
Roar Rookie
How good did Danny Townsend sound! It sounds like there's some really good people looking after football at the moment.
Punter
Roar Rookie
Yes 2 much better in Kewell & Viduka, the rest pretty similar.
Kozz
Roar Rookie
Did the old NSL clubs produce better quality international class players for Socceroo selection?
NoMates
Roar Rookie
I actually think Blacktown City will dick CCM, Central coast have lost a lot of players and Blacktown are a force in the NPL. 3-1 Blacktown
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Stay in OFC Australia didn't have to go to AFC it wanted to
Blood Dragon
Roar Rookie
Perth were officially a Rival it even had a name the Iron Ore Cup, granted it was a silly meaningless rivalry like the Distance Derby
Micko
Roar Rookie
It wasn't really a "choice"! What if they said "No."????
Micko
Roar Rookie
I literally don't understand! How do WP not constitute a "rival" for GCU, but Perth do??? :shocked: :silly: