The Bombers will have to meet the Crows without ruckman David Hille, who re-injured his hamstring at training on Tuesday and will miss another two to three weeks.
The Crows are in 14th position after a horror start to the year but appear to be hitting their straps with three wins in their last five matches, while the 10th-placed Bombers have lost their last three, with coach Matthew Knights admitting that the next month was make-or-break for 2010.
Adding to the difficulty is the poor record that Essendon has at AAMI Stadium, with four losses in its past five trips there, most recently the 96-point shellacking in last year’s elimination final.
Melbourne travelled to Adelaide last week also carrying the weight of a poor record in the City of Churches and despite a lot of talk about turning that record around were soundly beaten by the resurgent Crows.
Essendon coach Matthew Knights said the elimination final loss was not something the club had been using as a motivational tool.
“It hasn’t really entered into our thinking at this stage,” he said on Tuesday.
“The last game we played interstate was Sydney, albeit we didn’t get the points and were frustrated walking away from that game.
“But our last game interstate was strong, so we’ve got to take that form again to Adelaide. You’re correct, it hasn’t been a good ground for us, but we’re looking to change that this week and get stuck in.”
While the Dons will miss Hille, forward Angus Monfries is likely be available for selection.
