Local rivals Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart began their A-League campaigns by playing out a lifeless 0-0 draw on Saturday.

A derby-record crowd of 45,202 packed into the Etihad Stadium to watch these two city rivals, but the action on the field failed to live up to the fans' expectations.

Mate Dugandzic and Golgol Mebrahtu wasted good chances to break the deadlock during a first half that offered minor encouragement to the viewer.

However, the game deteriorated after the break, as both teams cautiously refused to take any risks, resulting in 45 minutes of defensive domination.