With both sides vying for a spot in September, the Round 20 match-up between Hawthorn and Essendon promises to be one to watch.
The Hawks and the Bombers both boast winning form, with John Worsfold's side having won eight of their last 10 games.
There are sure to be plenty of interesting match-ups on Saturday afternoon that will impact the result.
Read: Hawks make one change for Bombers clash
Here are some of the potential match-ups to watch out for:
Tom Mitchell vs Zach Merrett
The rover and wingman of the 2017 All Australian side, both players have enjoyed another stand-out season this year and look set to go head-to-head at the MCG in this Round 20 blockbuster clash. Mitchell is the competition's premier ball-getter, averaging 36.3 disposals over his 18 outings so far this year, while Merrett finds himself in a purple patch, averaging 30.7 touches over the past six weeks. Merrett's form has correlated with an impressive run from the Bombers so the Hawks will be keen to limit his influence as much as possible. Will they go head to head, or will a tagger be given the task?
Read: Dons prepare for ball-magnet Mitchell
Ben Stratton vs Jake Stringer
Rate him or not, Jake Stringer poses one of the biggest threats to the Hawks this Saturday afternoon. Potentially surprising to some, Stringer is leading the Bombers goalkicking list in 2018 with 24 goals to his name. The 24-year old has yet to punish the Hawks over his 105-game career, averaging just 12.4 possessions and a goal per game in his five encounters with the brown and gold, but his ability to break a game open in a matter of seconds is well-known. Expect Ben Stratton to look to lock away the dangerous forward.
Luke Breust vs Adam Saad
Luke Breust is one of the in-form players in the competition, having delivered hauls of four, five and six goals over the past month. Saad seems the likely match-up for Breust, who sits third on the Coleman Medal tally as the league enters the final month of the home and away season. As the competition's leading running bounce taker with 4.4 per game, Saad's offensive power has regularly been on show in his first year in the red and black. But his defensive intent has, at times, been questioned publicly. Saad will have to be at his stingy defensive best if the Bombers are any chance of containing the red-hot Breust.
David Zaharakis vs Isaac Smith
Both enjoying arguably career-best years in 2018, David Zaharakis and Isaac Smith look likely to line up alongside each other on the MCG wing this Saturday afternoon. Zaharakis is averaging disposal (26.2 per game) and marking (4.8) career-highs this season while Smith has excelled with averages of 22.4 possessions, 6.2 marks and 1.1 goals.
