This game is especially crucial for Geelong, which was thumped by Collingwood last weekend and is now only one win clear of eighth-placed St Kilda and ninth-placed North Melbourne. For the Bombers, the match presents an opportunity to cement their spot in the top third of the ladder.

?THE FOUR POINTS?
GEELONG
1. Cats fans will be hoping that star forward Tom Hawkins gets over his kicking yips soon. Hawkins played well against the Magpies last Saturday night, gathering 10 possessions and taking eight marks. But he undid all his good work by kicking behinds with his first four shots at goal. He finished with 1.4, which was a disappointing return for a player who was rarely off-target earlier in the season.

2. The Cats have now lost five games for the year, which leaves them on the verge of recording six losses in a season for the first time since 2006. Geelong finished 10th with a 10-11-1 record after its tumultuous '06 campaign - the last time the Cats failed to finish in the top four.

3. Since Etihad Stadium opened for the start of the 2000 season, Geelong has recorded the best winning percentage at the venue. The Cats have won 63 per cent of their 71 matches at Docklands, with that record including victories over the Western Bulldogs and Carlton this year. This weekend's opponent, Essendon, has won 59 per cent of its 119 games at Etihad Stadium.

4. Geelong's late-season draw is very tough, so it must turn around its form in a hurry. In the three weeks following their clash with the Bombers, the Cats play Adelaide, Hawthorn and West Coast in Perth. If the reigning premiers are still in the eight at the top of the season, they'll certainly have earned their spot.??

ESSENDON
1. When these teams last met, in round 15 last year, Essendon won by four points to hand Geelong its first loss of 2011. Then, the Bombers were without skipper Jobe Watson and a number of other key players, but still got over the line as rank outsiders. This time they are again without some important players, mainly Michael Hurley and David Zaharakis, but the ledger is a little more even with Geelong missing Jimmy Bartel through suspension. It will be interesting to see if the Bombers can cope as well as they did in 2011.

2. In last year's game, Essendon employed some specific tactics to stop Geelong that seemed to be the brainchild of coaches Mark Thompson and Brendan McCartney, who had crossed from the Cats the previous season. Former forward Andrew Welsh was used in a tagging role on Matthew Scarlett and it worked perfectly. Who will Essendon use in that role this time? One of its small forwards - Leroy Jetta, Alwyn Davey or Cory Dell'Olio - could be the man.

3. David Myers is fast becoming the midfielder Essendon needs. He's strong and physical, and gets the ball going the Bombers' way at every opportunity. In last week's win over Port Adelaide, Myers had 25 disposals and sent the ball inside his team's attacking 50 on seven occasions. Last time the Bombers played at Etihad, in their round-15 loss to St Kilda, Myers was used in a defensive role after the Saints forced a reshuffle. Don't expect that to happen on Friday night against the Cats.

4. Defender Mark Baguley showed no signs of nerves last week in his first AFL game. He picked up 20 disposals, had seven marks and looked in control. This week we might see another new(ish) face in the Bombers defence, with Alex Browne appearing likely to come into the side for his first game of the year. With Michael Hibberd's quad injury, there's a spot in Essendon's defence and Browne has shown some good form as a rebounding player in the VFL.

?AFL.com.au prediction: Essendon by three points

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