Melbourne v Carlton, Sunday April 20, at the MCG, 1.10pm
FORECAST
Fine
Minimum 11, Maximum 24
BETTING
Carlton $1.35, Melbourne $3.00 (TAB Sportsbet)
LAST TIME THEY MET
Melbourne 21.13 (139) defeated Carlton 15.18 (108), round 22, 2007 at the MCG
FORM GUIDE
Melbourne
Despite going down to Geelong by 30 points in round three, Melbourne gained some respect for taking it up to the Cats when many believed the Demons were headed for a third straight drubbing. So when Melbourne faced North Melbourne last Saturday at the MCG, hopes for a close contest were high. Unfortunately, Melbourne's competitiveness fell away resulting in a 48-point loss . The challenge for Melbourne is to hit back hard in round five.
Carlton
After equalling the club's greatest ever losing streak – 14 matches - Carlton was desperate to avoid setting a new mark. What followed was an outstanding performance from Carlton, as it produced a fine win over arch-rival Collingwood. It was Carlton's first win since round 14 last year, when the Blues defeated Port Adelaide at Telstra Dome. Carlton will be eager to string together two wins in a row and break a two-match losing streak against the Demons.
RANDOM FACTS
Melbourne has won six of eight finals against Carlton. The most recent encounter between the two sides was in 2000, when the Demons won by nine points at the MCG. Brad Green shone with four goals.
KEY MATCH UPS
Brock McLean/Lynden Dunn v Chris Judd
Nathan Carroll v Brendan Fevola
Jeff White v Cameron Cloke
WHAT THE CLUBS SAY
Melbourne
"I thought their (Carlton) attack on the footy and their persistence was really good. They really moved the ball pretty well and their skill level and kicking was at a very high level, so they played very well for most of the game. I'm sure that their confidence is through the roof." - Melbourne coach Dean Bailey in the lead-up to round five.
Carlton
"I think everyone's pleased with the outcome of last week, but we know we've got a big job at hand against Melbourne who are in the same situation as we were last week. They'll come out swinging and we need to make sure that we bring that game that we played against Collingwood to the table." - Carlton coach Brett Ratten in the lead-up to round five.
