The struggling Swans are in desperate need of a win but it doesn’t get much tougher than coming up against the high-flying Magpies at the MCG.

Match details

• Who: Collingwood Magpies vs Sydney Swans
• When: Sunday 7 May, 3.20pm
• Where: MCG, Melbourne
• Weather: min 7, max 13. 90% chance of rain, 1 to 7mm
• Head-to-head record since 1980: Played 70. Swans 33 wins. Pies 37 wins.

Teams

Swans

IN: Justin McInerney, Robbie Fox

OUT: Aaron Francis (omitted), Angus Sheldrick (omitted), Dylan Stephens (omitted)

Fox is a timely inclusion for the Swans who have been struggling defensively, while McInernery earns a recall after being dropped last week. Last week’s sub Mark Sheather will be in the 22 for the first time at AFL level. Young Sheldrick is stiff to be dropped after being played out of position last week, while Francis and Stephens have also been omitted.

Magpies

IN:Mason Cox, Scott Pendlebury

OUT: Jack Ginnivan (omitted), Nathan Kreuger (injured), Will Kelly (sub)

The Pies get two handy inclusions with the former skipper Pendlebury and ruck/forward Cox both returning from injury. Ginnivan has been dropped with Kreuger out injured.

Click here to see the complete team line-ups.

Season so far

Sydney Swans 11^th – 104.6% | 641 points for | 613 points against | 3 wins & 4 losses | LLWLL

History does say that team’s that get belted in Grand Final’s struggle the next year, and this Sydney team is looking like adding to that record.

When they went on their last season run last year, this squad just responded to every challenge thrown at them, however this year they just don’t have the same belief in them.

The Swans have now dropped two games at home after leading by 20 or more in the last quarter, and while they did a lot right against GWS last week, they just couldn’t get it done when it mattered most.

For a team that’s lost four of their last five, it doesn’t get any harder than facing the Pies in front of their hostile fans at the MCG.

They Swans have been belted by the two contenders they’ve faced already this season and they simply need a better showing to give them some confidence they can still match it against the best.

Collingwood Magpies 1^st – 117.7% | 625 points for | 531 points against| 6 wins & 1 loss | WWWLW

The Magpies are the best entertainment going around in the country right now and have set themselves up for another deep finals run.

Many thought the Pies might drop off this season after winning so many close games last year, but they’ve gone to another level and clearly haven’t lost their ability to win the tight contests.

They just seem to be playing with so much freedom and Craig McCrae has done an incredible job of instilling belief that they can get the job done from any position.

Nick Daicos has received plenty of praise this year, and rightly so given his stellar form, but this Collingwood outfit has a host of terrific players in great form that all play their role perfectly.

This is the perfect opportunity for the Pies to get one back over the Swans after last year’s Preliminary Final loss and they should be too good at home.

Last 5 meetings and MCG history

• 2022 Preliminary Final: Swans 14.11 (95) defeated Magpies 14.10 (94) at SCG
• 2022 round 22: Swans 11.11 (77) defeated Magpies 7.8 (50) at SCG
• 2021 round 9: Swans 10.12 (72) defeated Magpies 5.12 (42) at SCG
• 2020 round 10: Magpies 6.14 (50) defeated Swans 6.5 (41) at Gabba
• 2019 round 10: Swans 11.7 (73) lost to Magpies 11.14 (80) at SCG

The Swans have won the last three straight over the Pies, including two wins at the SCG last year.

In their first meeting of 2022, Sydney got the better of Collingwood in the first half and managed to hold a lead for the entire game, never really looking under threat. The Prelim started off in similar fashion as the Swans built an early lead, however the Magpies came with a huge rush late and almost pinched a remarkable comeback win, falling just one point shy.

Given the AFL loves scheduling these two sides in Sydney, they have bugger all recent history at the MCG and have only met there five times this century, with the last contest all the way back in 2013.

Sydney did win that one by 57 points, however Collingwood hold a 3-2 advantage in the five contests at the MCG since 2000.

Pre-match predictions

Brotherly love: Josh and Nick Daicos to combine for 50 disposals and two goals.

Wayward Hayward: Will Hayward to have a poor day in front of goals and kick three behinds. Pies by 36.

Have any pre-match predictions of your own? Let us know in the comments below.