Adelaide and Essendon have met 34 times. The Bombers hold a slight edge in the head-to-head ledger 18-16.
Both teams have claimed two wins apiece from the last four meetings. Adelaide thrashed the Bombers by 112 points in Round 20 last season, which was the seventh-biggest win in the Club’s history.
Eddie Betts starred with five goals in the victory at Etihad Stadium last year.
Betts needs one goal to reach 450 career goals since making his AFL debut in 2005.
If declared fit to play, Taylor Walker (292 goals) needs one more goal to overhaul Brownlow Medallist Mark Ricciuto (also on 292 goals) and claim second spot outright in the Club’s all-time goalkicking tally.
Sunday will be the first time the Crows and Bombers have met at Adelaide Oval. Essendon has played Port Adelaide twice at the venue.
The biggest home-and-away crowd for a game featuring the two teams was 46,309 at Football Park in Round Eight, 2004. A crowd of 50,393 packed the venue for the 2009 Elimination Final.
After being held to its lowest score of the season last round, Adelaide is now second in the League for points scored (1,841) behind Greater Western Sydney. Essendon is 18th in total points for (1,111).
Adelaide is the top team for goals scored from opposition turnovers (167) while Essendon has scored the least (102).
Josh Jenkins, Betts and Walker rank fourth, fifth and sixth in the League respectively for total scoreboard impact so far this season.
Young defender Jake Lever has claimed 42 intercept marks this year, ranked eighth in the AFL.
Fellow backman Daniel Talia is No.1 in the AFL for total spoils (144). Essendon’s Michael Hartley is second with 138.
Essendon is encouraged to move the ball directly. The Bombers use the corridor more than any other team in the AFL (33.5 per cent of all their ball movement).
Essendon boasts the second-best free kick differential in the competition (+41) behind only the Western Bulldogs (+85). Adelaide ranks sixth (+25).
The Bombers concede the second-most points per game (110) behind Brisbane (126), who defeated them last round. Adelaide is ranked seventh in the statistic (84).
Essendon is No.1 in the AFL for average marks per game (98). The Crows are fourth (94).
The Bombers enjoy finding space on the outside, ranked second in the League for uncontested possessions per game (250). Adelaide’s strength is winning the contested ball (154), ranked second in the AFL.
Essendon young gun Zach Merrett in enjoying a career-best season. The 20-year-old is ranked equal-fourth in the AFL for handballs received, sixth for tackles, equal-sixth for loose ball gets, eighth for disposals and ninth for inside 50ms. He’s also seventh in the League for disposals per minute.
Marking machine Joe Daniher is fifth in the League for contested marks (37) and seventh for marks on the lead (27).
Essendon has lost an equal-club record 15 games in a row since the Bombers’ Round Two win over Melbourne.
The Crows have used the least number of players (27) at senior level of any club this season. Essendon has used the second-most (38).
The Bombers fielded the fourth-youngest side of any club last round with an average player age of 24.2 years. Adelaide’s team at Simonds Stadium had an average age of 25.3 years, the sixth-oldest of the round.
Essendon is the most inaccurate goalkicking team in the AFL with a conversion rate of 50.2 per cent. The Crows are mid-table, ranked ninth on 58.4 per cent.
Scott Thompson and Tyson Edwards share the record for the most disposals by a Crow against the Bombers. Edwards amassed 41 possessions along with 10 tackles and nine clearances in his 300th game in Round 11, 2009. Thompson matched it with 41 disposals, 10 clearances and seven tackles in Round 14, 2014.
Adelaide kicked its biggest score in Club history against the Bombers back in Round 10, 2006. The Crows kicked an accurate 30.8 (188) to Essendon’s 6.15 (50) at Football Park.
Tony Modra and Trent Hentschel share the record for most goals by a Crow against Essendon. Modra kicked eight against the Bombers at Princes Park in Round 19, 1996, while Hentschel achieved the same feat at Football Park in Round 10, 2006.
