Well, we've got the old rivals going head to head this season round - blood, passion, and footy, what more could one ask for? Collingwood Magpies and Essendon Bombers. Like peanut butter and jelly, they just go together, even when they're tearing each other apart on the field.
The Bombers might be sitting pretty on #4 in the AFL while the Pies are at #6, but don't let that fool you. The bookies tip the Magpies to fly home, and who am I to argue? Besides, have we forgotten that little drubbing Collingwood handed to Essendon back in August '23? It was less a game of footy and more a demonstration of the food chain.
Remember though, it's a jungle out there, and the Bombers have stung back since that defeat, matching their arch rivals step for step in the last face-off. Plus, they seem to have found their rhythm in recent games, despite that stumble against Geelong.
For the Pies, well, let's say they're not enjoying the sweet taste of recent victories. Those loss margins can really put a dampener on the morale, I tell ya. But the Pies are a gritty bunch, they may well pull themselves up by their bootstraps and give a surprise or two.
But the bitter truth of the hour? The game will be tighter than a drum. However, as the saying goes, fortune favours the brave, and a bet on the Pies might not be such a bad idea after all.
Albert's Prediction: Collingwood Magpies by 6