Where and when: Etihad Stadium, Saturday, June 19, 7.10pm
Head to head: Carlton 10 wins, Fremantle 12 wins, no draws
Last time: Carlton 16.9 (115) d Fremantle 15.10 (100), round 14, 2009 at Subiaco

MISSING IN ACTION
Carlton
Chris Johnson (wrist) - 2 weeks
Rhys O’Keeffe (back) - indefinite
Simon White (knee) - test

Fremantle
Greg Broughton (foot) - 1-2 weeks
Des Headland (knee) - 2-3 weeks
Chris Mayne (ankle) - 2-3 weeks
Luke McPharlin (knee) - 3-4 weeks
Brock O'Brien (quad) - 4 weeks
Rhys Palmer (ankle) - test
Scott Thornton (leg) - 8-10 weeks

FORM
Carlton: WLWWL
Fremantle: LWWLL

SUMMARY
Saturday night's game looms as a hugely important fixture for both teams as they chase a berth in the top four. 

The Blues' loss to North Melbourne came as a surprise to many and although their midfield of Judd, Gibbs, Simpson and Murphy monstered the Roos at the clearances, the forward misfired badly with the exception of five-goal star Eddie Betts.

This game shapes as Carlton's first serious test since a 50-point hiding at the hands of Hawthorn in round nine and coach Brett Ratten will be keen to re-establish his side's finals credentials.

Fremantle's early-season surge is showing signs of slowing, with three losses in the past five weeks. However, Freo weren't far off St Kilda at Subiaco in round 12, despite the absence of five important players and a relatively quiet game from skipper Matthew Pavlich.

Mark Harvey's men are 1-1 from two games at Etihad Stadium this season; a second victory at the ground in 2010 would consolidate their place among the top four with nine rounds to play.

PLAYER TO WATCH
Anthony Morabito is beginning to show real signs that he's making a successful transition from a star junior to a useful senior player. While the No.4 selection at the 2009 NAB AFL Draft is yet to rack up huge numbers, he was very effective across half-forward against the Saints and stood up amid intense pressure with two goals when they were scarce.

Challenges don't come any bigger than Freo ruckman Aaron Sandilands and that could be just what Matthew Kreuzer needs to spark his best form. The talented young ruckman has been useful without starring for much of 2010 and his athleticism could prove troublesome for Sandilands. If he can nullify the Freo giant in the ruck and contribute a couple of goals in attack, the Blues will be a much more potent outfit.

QUESTION MARKS
Who will kick Carlton's goals? Ratten predicted the Blues would spread the load up forward without Fevola but they only had four goalkickers against North Melbourne. More is needed from Jeff Garlett, Setanta O'hAilpin and Kreuzer.

Will Freo choose to go head-to-head with the Blues' much-vaunted midfield? Michael Barlow, David Mundy, Ryan Crowley and Stephen Hill don't have the pedigree of Chris Judd, Marc Murphy and Bryce Gibbs but they've been effective enough in 2010 to suggest it would be an exciting battle.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
Fremantle's resurgence has been inspired by its youngsters, but young legs tend to struggle as the season wears on. That could prove telling against Carlton, whose stock of running players tends to go deeper than most. The loss to North will have stung the Blues badly; look for them to emerge with victory on Saturday night in an entertaining contest.

PREDICTION
Carlton by 22 points

Chat with host Murray Belkin and other fans in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au from 7.40pm Saturday or join the conversation on Twitter: #aflbluesfreo

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