Adelaide and Geelong have met 38 times. The Cats hold the overall lead, 21 – 17.

Geelong won the most recent meeting between the teams at Adelaide Oval in Round Eight, 2016.

The 26-point loss was Adelaide’s last defeat (and biggest of the season), with the Club having won its past eight games straight. The Cats have won four of their eight matches since that clash.

In Round Eight, Rory Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield went head to head in the midfield. Sloane finished with 28 possessions, 11 tackles and nine clearances, while Dangerfield amassed 33 disposals, 11 tackles and six clearances. Both players polled four votes from the coaches.

It was Cats midfielders Cam Guthrie and Steven Motlop who stole the show earlier this season. The leading possession-winner on the ground, Guthrie collected 36 touches, 10 tackles and eight clearances. Motlop kicked a game-high four goals from his 24 disposals.

Adelaide’s most recent win at Simonds Stadium was in Round 10, 2003. On that day, the Crows recovered from a three-goal deficit at quarter time to run out 17-point winners. Spearhead Scott Welsh kicked three goals, while former skipper Mark Bickley chalked up 25 touches.

Adelaide’s last trip to Geelong resulted in a 39-point defeat in Round 23, 2015.

Three members of Adelaide’s Round 17 team are yet to play at Simonds Stadium: KyleCheney, Mitch McGovern and Paul Seedsman.

Exciting Crow Eddie Betts is just two goals-shy of his 450^th career goal.

Betts and teammate Josh Jenkins are equal-fourth in the Coleman Medal race with 44.

Tom Hawkins is Geelong’s leading goalkicker with 34 – ranked 11^th overall in the AFL.

Crows captain Taylor Walker, who has kicked 36 goals, leads the League in score assists (30) with Greater Western Sydney half-forward Toby Greene.

The Cats are tough to score against. Geelong has conceded the third-fewest points (1,196) of any team this season. Adelaide has conceded 1,346 points – ranked seventh best.

If you narrow the field to the past two months, the Crows are third (best) for points against having conceded 561 points compared to Geelong’s 655 (ranked ninth best). Adelaide is still the highest scoring team in this period (Rounds 9 – 17) with 918 points for.

Champion Cat Corey Enright is set to equal Geelong’s games record on Saturday night. The three-time premiership player is due to run out in his 325th game, equalling the record of Ian Nankervis.

Saturday night’s match could have significant repercussions for both teams. The Crows are currently second on the AFL ladder, percentage ahead of the third-placed Western Bulldogs, while Geelong is a game behind in seventh.

Geelong has the best inside 50m differential of any team, averaging 11.4 more forward entries than their direct opponents this season. The Crows are fifth in this statistic with a differential of 4.9.

The precise-kicking Cats play on from the mark the least of any side (23 per cent), preferring to pin-point passes and shift the opposition defence before launching an attack. Geelong kicks backwards the fourth most of any team.

Dangerfield has been in unstoppable form, ranked equal-first in the competition for inside 50ms (123) and contested possessions (255), second in total disposals (500) and seventh in clearances (104).

Dangerfield has gained more metres (9,799) than any other player. Line-breaking Crow Brodie Smith is ranked fourth overall with 8,611 metres gained.

Sloane and Cats captain Joel Selwood are equal-eighth in contested possessions (221).

Selwood is the second-best clearance player in the competition with 117. Selwood (60) and Dangerfield (53) are top-two in the League for centre clearances.

The pair is also dangerous when putting the ball inside 50m. Selwood (23), Dangerfield (21) and Mitch Duncan (20) are top three in finding marks from their kicks inside 50m.

Sloane is ranked second for tackles (123) behind West Coast Brownlow Medallist Matt Priddis (127).

Talented Crow Brad Crouch has jumped 33.6 Champion Data ranking points in the past month – the sixth-biggest jump of any player in the competition. Teammate Jarryd Lyons has the third highest increase (44.2) of any player this season.

The Cats average 6.3 more marks inside 50m than their direct opponent – ranked No.1 in the AFL. The Crows are second with a differential of 3.5.

Powerful Cat Hawkins has taken 34 contested marks – ranked equal-fifth. He is third for marks inside forward 50m (50). Josh Jenkins is seventh overall with 41.

The dangerous Motlop is third in the League for running bounces (37).