Where and when: MCG, Monday June 10, 3.20pm AEST
What it means for Collingwood: A win would complete a successful first half of the season before the third-placed Pies enjoy a well-earned rest, but a second successive upset loss at the MCG would raise some doubts.
What it means for Melbourne: Simon Goodwin's team needs to recapture some semblance of the uncompromising brand they created last year, and only that will do against a rebounding Collingwood. Victory could kickstart the 16th-placed Demons on a long road to recovery.
The stat: The Demons have been hot favourites in their past two clashes against the Pies but have failed miserably on both occasions – by 16 points in the last round of 2017, thus missing the finals, and by 42 points in last year's Queen's Birthday clash.
The match-up: Brodie Grundy v Max Gawn
In the eyes of many, Magpie big man Grundy (ranked No.3 in the Official AFL Player Ratings) has taken over from Demon counterpart Gawn (No.1) as the AFL's premier ruckman, so here's the perfect opportunity to settle it – at least for now.
It's a big week for: Sam Weideman
It'll also be a long week for the young key forward after he fluffed a chance to be the hero in his AFL return against Adelaide in Darwin, missing an otherwise regulation set shot in the dying seconds. He'll be keen to atone in his first Queen's Birthday game against the club his father and grandfather represented.
Big call: Demon accumulator Clayton Oliver to break the handball record of 35 held by Crow Matt Crouch.
