THE MCG is expecting a bumper crowd of around 85,000 for Friday night's blockbuster clash between fierce foes Collingwood and Carlton, with the hotly anticipated bout due to kickstart a mega weekend of sporting action at the ground.
The traditional rivals enter the fixture as the competition's most in-form teams, with the Pies now two games clear on top of the AFL ladder and the Blues surging back into finals contention after five straight victories.
The game has already sold out of general public tickets and is set to continue Collingwood's incredible rate of support this season, with the match against Carlton due to be its sixth fixture played in front of more than 80,000 people this year.
The Blues have already played in front of more than 80,000 people three times in 2023.
Collingwood and Carlton games have traditionally been highly attended affairs, with the last three fixtures played between the old rivals generating an average crowd of more than 83,000 people.
Last year's thrilling round 23 clash between the two sides, which attracted a massive 88,287 people, was the biggest ever non-finals crowd figure in this fixture and the highest in any game between Collingwood and Carlton since 1981.
The Friday night encounter will also begin a huge weekend for the MCG, with Australia's home of sport then expecting a crowd of around 75,000 for Saturday night's Bledisloe Cup opener between Australia and New Zealand.
The AFL then returns to the MCG on Sunday, with Richmond and Melbourne due to play in front of a crowd of around 60,000 people in yet another fixture with significant finals ramifications.
Collingwood is this season's overwhelming premiership favourite, having beaten the second-placed Port Adelaide last week. Meanwhile, Carlton has just become only the third team in V/AFL history to win five straight games by more than 50 points.