Where and when: MCG, Saturday July 17, 2.10pm AEST
Head to head: Collingwood 149 wins, St Kilda 57 wins, one draw
Last time: St Kilda 10.9 (69) d Collingwood 4.17 (41), round three, 2010 at Etihad Stadium

MISSING IN ACTION
Collingwood

Travis Cloke (suspension) - 2 weeks
Anthony Corrie (knee) - 1-2 weeks
Brad Dick (shoulder) - 1 week
Nick Maxwell (calf) - 1-2 weeks

St Kilda
Raphael Clarke (hamstring) - test
Robert Eddy (knee) - test
Brendon Goddard (illness) - available
Justin Koschitzke (ankle) - test
Jesse Smith (ankle) - season

FORM
Collingwood:
WDWWW
St Kilda: WWWWW

SUMMARY
The match of the round pits second against third and gives both sides a chance to flex some muscle ahead of a potential meeting in September.

St Kilda should head into this game with plenty of confidence, given they got the job done in the two teams’ memorable clash in round three. That night the Pies kicked woefully in front of goal, Nick Riewoldt did his hamstring and Stephen Milne was involved in a quarter-time spat with the Collingwood coach, yet the Saints overcame those dramas to score an emotion-charged win. Riewoldt is now back, St Kilda’s midfield is purring and Ross Lyon’s team seems headed for another top-two finish.

The Pies will be without captain Nick Maxwell for another week, while Travis Cloke’s brain-fade at AAMI Stadium last week means he’ll miss through suspension. Those outs will hurt Collingwood, although they don’t have many injuries and have capable replacements in form at VFL level. While Collingwood has beaten the Western Bulldogs twice this year, it hasn’t claimed a really big scalp - St Kilda or Geelong - for a while. Doing so on Saturday would give its premiership credentials some real legitimacy.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Collingwood’s Alan Didak hasn’t had the big-possession games he was regularly having in 2010, but despite playing more of a half forward role his importance to the Pies is as significant as ever. Against St Kilda in last year’s qualifying final he had just 13 possessions and was goalless, but performed far better in round three.

After the drama involving Pies coach Mick Malthouse following the two teams’ round three clash, Saint Stephen Milne will be desperate to perform well on Saturday. Milne is enjoying another superb season. He is averaging two-and-a-half goals a match and has kicked a major in all 15 games this year.

QUESTION MARKS
Nick Riewoldt made a solid start in his comeback from a serious hamstring injury. If things get tight against the Pies, will Ross Lyon closely monitor his champion skipper’s game time or let him run hard against the Magpies?

Chris Dawes has looked good in recent weeks, but with Travis Cloke out the Pies will need another strong marking option. Can Jack Anthony rediscover his 2009 form, or will the Pies need to rely on their smaller options to kick a winning score?

St Kilda’s midfield of Lenny Hayes, Brendon Goddard, Leigh Montagna and Nick Dal Santo has been close to unstoppable this year. The Pies’ biggest names, Dane Swan and Scott Pendlebury, are also in form but does their team have the cream to match that of the Saints?

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
St Kilda doesn’t get involved in free-flowing, high-scoring shootouts. They play tough, hard footy - the type that wins you big finals. Collingwood doesn’t mind the hard stuff but it has fallen short against the Saints in recent encounters, an inability to kick a score against the defence-driven Saints the main problem. Despite not being a prolific goal kicker, Cloke’s absence this weekend won’t help.

St Kilda beat the Cats a few weeks back and that win came without Riewoldt. It’s tough to see them not being able to roll the Pies.

PREDICTION
St Kilda by 21 points

Chat with host Mark Conway and other fans in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au from 12.40pm Saturday or join the conversation on Twitter: #aflpiessaints

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.