Head to head: Collingwood 101 wins, Western Bulldogs 42 wins, one draw
Last time: Collingwood 19.15 (129) d Western Bulldogs 13.15 (93), round one, 2010, at Etihad Stadium
MISSING IN ACTION
Collingwood
Jarrad Blight (ankle) - 1-2 weeks
Anthony Corrie (knee) - 1-2 weeks
Leon Davis (calf) - test
Tristan Francis (quadriceps) - test
Josh Fraser (ankle) - test
John McCarthy (hamstring) - 1 week
Shae McNamara (knee) - test
Paul Medhurst (foot) - 1 week
Sean Rusling (calf) - 1 week
Western Bulldogs
Jason Akermanis (hamstring) - TBA
Ayce Cordy (shoulder) - season
Brad Johnson (achilles) - 2 weeks
Lukas Markovic (shoulder) - test
Robert Murphy (knee) - 1-2 weeks
Shane Thorne (knee) - 9 weeks
FORM
Collingwood: WWWLL
Western Bulldogs: LWWWL
SUMMARY
The Magpies have lost their last two matches against Geelong and the Brisbane Lions. A huge second half from Brendan Fevola and inspiring performances from Luke Power and Jonathan Brown sparked the Lions to an eight-point win after the Magpies led for the majority of the match last week.
They are third on the ladder, one game behind Geelong and Fremantle, and level with St Kilda on points. Dale Thomas and Scott Pendlebury were good for the Pies on the weekend but their forwards were a concern.
The Bulldogs have finally emerged from the fall-out of Jason Akermanis' controversial newspaper column but their on-field performances haven't improved and they've slipped to fifth. They went down to Essendon on Friday night by nine points despite kicking four goals in time on in the last.
Barry Hall kicked five goals, Ben Hudson was strong and Ryan Griffen was one of the side's best against the Bombers.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Sharrod Wellingham's numbers haven't been quite as good since he returned from a calf injury and he'll be keen to revisit his earlier season form. He'll also be keen to ensure he doesn't back into Barry Hall's elbow again after the round one mistake cost him six stitches.
Daniel Giansiracusa's form has taken a dive over the past three weeks. He's averaged just 15 touches and kicked one goal, and hasn't had the impact he had in rounds six and seven. He really needs to have a good one this week.
QUESTION MARKS
Can the Magpies shake off their disappointing fortnight and catch the Dogs napping like they did in round one this year?
Will the Dogs emerge from the Akermanis incident a tighter and more cohesive group?
Will Collingwood's forwards get it together and trouble the usually-sound Bulldogs' back half?
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
Both sides have had their issues coming into this game. The Pies have dropped two in a row and the Dogs have had to deal with Akermanis and a shock loss to Essendon. But after a big bake from Mick Malthouse, the Pies' forwards simply have to fire. They also have enough talent down back to run the ball out should the Dogs be lethargic and make as many errors as they did against the Bombers.
PREDICTION
Collingwood by 11 points
Chat with host Murray Belkin and other fans in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au from 4.10pm Sunday or join the conversation on Twitter: #aflpiesdogs
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
