MATCH DETAILS
Collingwood v Essendon at the MCG
Friday 25 April, 2.40pm

FORECAST
Late showers
Minimum 13, Maximum 22

BETTING
Collingwood $1.45, Essendon $2.55

LAST TIME THEY MET
Collingwood 18.14 (122) d Essendon 14.9 (93), round 16, 2007, at the MCG

FORM GUIDE
Following the Magpies' Saturday night seven-point loss to North Melbourne, the side has dipped out of the eight with a record of two wins and three losses. The Pies beat Fremantle in round one, lost to the Brisbane Lions round two, trumped the Tigers in round three, and then were surprised by Carlton in round four. They are sitting at ninth on the ladder and are equal on points with the Lions, Blues and Bombers.

Essendon is also sitting outside the eight but its lowly percentage has it placed three spots below the Magpies. After igniting their season with a win over the Kangaroos in round one, the Bombers have won just one other game, against Carlton in round three. They have fallen to Geelong, the Western Bulldogs and most recently, St Kilda.

MEDICAL ROOM
The Pies will be missing Scott Burns (calf) for a third week, and will also go into the game without Brodie Holland (ankle) and Ben Reid (quad). Alan Toovey (shoulder) could be back in two weeks. Simon Prestigiacomo (foot) may be available in a month, while Sean Rusling (shoulder) has been ruled out for the season along with Brad Dick (knee).

The Bombers did not include Tom Hislop despite being available after overcoming a wrist injury. Leroy Jetta (hamstring) is one week away while Sam Lonergan (hamstring) is two. Mark McVeigh (hamstring) is still three matches away from resuming. Scott Lucas (knee) could be back in five but Heath Hocking (groin) is out for seven-to-eight, and Andrew Lee (shoulder) is indefinite.

RANDOM FACTS
This will be the 14th time these two sides have faced off on Anzac Day, which is widely known as the second biggest day on the football calendar. Some Anzac Day stats include:

- The tradition commenced in round four, 1995, when two gallant sides fought out a draw played in front of a crowd of 94,825. It was, and still is, the second-biggest home-and-away crowd in AFL history.
- The match is again a sell-out this year, and the clubs are expecting a turnout of over 90,000 fans.
- Collingwood won the first three Anzac Day clashes after 1995 before Essendon racked up a few wins of its own. Today, the tally stands at six wins apiece plus the famous draw.
- Collingwood hasn't lost three in a row since rounds 13-15, 2006, when it fell to Richmond, St Kilda and Fremantle in consecutive weeks.
- Collingwood has won three out of their last four matches against Essendon.

KEY MATCH-UPS
Nathan Brown v Matthew Lloyd
The young defender frequently gets a run in this section as a possibility to halt a key opposition goalkicker, and he might get another opportunity to do so this week. Lloyd was kept goalless last weekend and may present the youngster a tough task as he seeks redemption.

Anthony Rocca v Dustin Fletcher/Mal Michael
Fletcher looms as the obvious choice for the tall Rocca but the Bombers do like to play the big man loose meaning the task could fall to Michael. Given Rocca's Anzac Day struggles in the past and a one-goal effort last week, he too could be fired up for a big outing.

Josh Fraser v David Hill
The battle between the Victorian big men. With a spot on the Victorian Hall of Fame tribute match side on the cards and Fraser exploding back into form last week, this could be one hot battle.

WHAT THE CLUBS SAY
Collingwood
"When looking at Essendon, you see they're a really fast team and they're playing exciting football. They've scored a lot of points, so we have to make sure we don't go into those lapses we've had in the past few weeks.

"We can't get away with those lapses, we've got to play a full game. If you switch off, teams can kick five goals in five minutes, as we saw in the Bulldogs game on the weekend.

"We're not too concerned about their pace, even though Josh Fraser said the players are a bit tired. We've still got a fair bit of pace in our side as well, and if they haven't got the ball, they can't run away from us.

"If we play the game on our terms, then it won't become an open shoot-out anyway." – Blake Caracella, assistant coach.

Essendon
"To be a part of it on Friday as a coach is something I'll always treasure and something I’m very proud of.

"Kevin Sheedy and James Hird had such a magnificent foundation with this day and have left a great legacy.

"I just really feel proud to be following in those footsteps.

"With Kevin and James, the day was partly about them and obviously about the significance of Australian history and what it [Anzac Day] has meant to this country. I'm wonderfully proud to be involved and I know our players are very much looking forward to the occasion.

"There's heaps at stake, no doubt about that. We know as a club where we're headed. We've got a direction, we've got a plan and I guess it's a new dawn for the Essendon football club … I don't know whether it will shape the season but it's great experience for our young players who want to aspire and play on those big stages." – Matthew Knights, coach.