Collingwood Magpies vs Essendon Bombers @Melbourne Cricket Ground, Saturday 2:10pm

Collingwood put in a disappointing effort in their last start loss to Hawthorn as they went down 118-94. As for Essendon they suffered one of the biggest shocks in recent memory as they went down 90-82 against Brisbane in a match that no one expected the Lions to win.

The Bombers have to bounce back quickly given the fact they are now a couple of wins adrift of St Kilda who occupy eighth place. Collingwood players are likely already thinking about post-season holidays as they languish down in 15th place.

For Collingwood amongst their casualties are Travis Varcoe and Ben Sinclair (both hamstring). While for Essendon on their injured list includes both Mitch Brown and Jayden Laverde (ankle).

Match Fact: The last four clashes between these two teams have resulted in two wins apiece.

Why Essendon will win: Essendon are too good and too talented to let last week’s shock defeat affect them too much. They also highlighted before the loss that they are a formidable squad, most notably when they beat Port Adelaide by 70.

Our Tip: Essendon by 14.

Sydney Swans vs Gold Coast Suns @Sydney Cricket Ground, Saturday 4:35pm

In their last game Sydney continued their four match winning streak by beating Melbourne 85-50. As for the Gold Coast they won at home, beating North Melbourne 118-99.

Despite having won seven of their past eight games, Sydney still sit in ninth position on the ladder due to their horrible 0-6 start to the season. If they win and other results go their way they could break into the top eight. Gold Coast are not totally out of contention for the finals, but that might change if they lose this one.

Among the players out for Sydney include both Alex Johnson and Sam Naismith (knee). Ben Ainsworth (quad), Callum Ah Chee (back) and Sam Day (hip) are missing for the Gold Coast.

Match Fact: The Gold Coast are yet to win a game against Sydney, having lost all of the previous seven games between the two clubs.

Why Sydney will win: The star quality of the men in red and white clearly outclasses that of the Gold Coast, with Lance Franklin, Jake Lloyd and Josh Kennedy all in superb form this season.

Our Tip: Sydney by 15.