WHERE AND WHEN: Etihad Stadium, Sunday 26 June, 2.10pm
HEAD TO HEAD: Carlton 19 wins, West Coast 16 wins, no draws
LAST TIME: Carlton 15.19 (109) d West Coast 11.17 (83), round 17, 2010 at Patersons Stadium
TV, RADIO AND BETTING: Click here for broadcast guide and odds 
A full replay will be available on afl.com.au 12 hours after the completion of the match
FORM: Carlton: LWWWW West Coast: WLWWW

SUMMARY
With the Blues shaping as genuine premiership contenders, and the fifth-placed Eagles on the rise, Sunday's clash looms as one of the most intriguing matches of the round.

The Eagles are keen to claim their first top-four scalp of the year, and forward Mark LeCras believes his side has the weaponry to do it.

The Carlton side that blew the Sydney Swans out of the water in a magnificent third-quarter effort showed very little signs of weakness, but against West Coast's tall timber down forward, the Blues' back six could be stretched to the limit.

The match up between Carlton defender Michael Jamison and former Blue Josh Kennedy will be a critical contest, as will the midfield battle pitting Chris Judd and Marc Murphy against Daniel Kerr and Matt Priddis.

The Blues have won the last four encounters against the Eagles, with both clashes last year won convincingly.

The two sides have only clashed twice at Etihad Stadium (Carlton won both games), and West Coast's record there isn't great, having lost nine of their past 11 matches.

To add to that, the Eagles haven't beaten Carlton in Melbourne since a one-point victory at Princes Park back in round 12, 2002. But one thing is for sure, the Eagles will go for broke on Sunday as they have the luxury of a bye the next week.

QUESTION MARKS
Will the Blues let West Coast defender Shannon Hurn run off the leash? Hurn was in devastating form against Port Adelaide last week with 25 possessions and three goals. His ability to hurt the opposition on the rebound is very important for the Eagles, and Carlton will need to limit his influence.

Who will win the ruck duel of Kreuzer/Warnock versus Cox/Naitanui? It's going to be an enthralling contest with Cox back to All Australian form and Kreuzer asserting his influence in just his second game back from a knee injury. Warnock should replace the injured Hampson for the Blues, while matching up against Naitanui is a challenge for any coach.

Who will the Eagles tag? In past seasons tagging Judd out of the game was sometimes enough to ensure victory, but with Murphy in scintillating form, and the likes of Yarran and Gibbs all performing well, it will be a challenge to stop the run of the Blues.

PREDICTION
Carlton by eight points

TOYOTA AFL DREAM TEAM WATCH
If you haven't jumped on Carlton midfielder Marc Murphy, what are you waiting for? At $457,500 he's not exactly cheap, but he is an investment not to be missed. He has averaged 128 Dream Team points in the last five rounds, including scoring a massive 145 in round 10 against Melbourne. He has a great record against the Eagles with the Dream Team Assistant coach projecting a whopping score of 138, so get on him now.

Follow the game live in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au and join the conversation on Twitter using #aflblueseagles

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