Adelaide and West Coast have met 41 times. The Eagles hold the overall advantage, 23-18.
Sunday's match will be Adelaide's last 'home' game of the minor round, and will be celebrated as 'Member Appreciation' round.
West Coast won by 56 points when the two teams last met in an emotion-charged match at Domain Stadium in Round 15. It was Adelaide’s first game following the tragic passing of Senior Coach Phil Walsh.
The Crows led by 14 points at quarter time against the Eagles in Round 15, but were held goalless in the second quarter as West Coast piled on eight goals to set up the comfortable win.
Adelaide’s score of 14.7 (91) was the third-biggest score against West Coast this season. The Eagles conceded 97 and 111 points, respectively, in losses to the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle in Rounds One and Three.
In-form wingman Andrew Gaff picked up 36 possessions and three goals in West Coast’s win over Adelaide earlier this year. Ruckman Nic Naitanui was also influential with 39 hit-outs, 19 possessions and seven clearances.
Sam Jacobs (238) and Naitanui (205) are fourth and fifth in the competition in hit-outs to advantage.
Gaff and Brownlow Medallist, Matt Priddis, are the top-two possession winners in the AFL. Priddis has amassed 603 disposals, while Gaff has gathered 601.
Link-up man Gaff also leads the League in uncontested possessions and handball receives, while Priddis (146) is the leading tackler in the game.
The Crows (first) and Eagles (fifth) are both top five for average clearances per game. It was in the midfield where West Coast got on top when the teams met earlier this season – the Eagles dominated the clearances 51 - 35 and generated 73 inside 50ms to Adelaide’s 37.
The biggest-ever crowd for a game between Adelaide and West Coast was 50,514 in the Preliminary Final at Football Park in 2006. The biggest minor-round crowd was 49,470 at Adelaide Oval in Round 19 last year.
The Eagles, who will be aiming to lock away a top-two position this weekend, are second on the AFL ladder with a record of 15 wins and four losses. The eighth-placed Crows will be out to cement their spot in September with a win over West Coast on Sunday.
The Crows have won five of their past six games, while the Eagles have recorded one loss and a draw in their past month of matches. Only North Melbourne has won more games (six) than Adelaide in this period.
The Eagles travelled to Adelaide Oval earlier this season, knocking off Port Adelaide by 10 points.
West Coast is a high-possession team, ranked fourth in the AFL for total disposals.
The Eagles are the most efficient team in the League inside 50m, scoring from an average of 52.5 per cent of their forward 50m entries.
The Crows and Eagles both have strong targets in their forward lines, ranked second and third in the competition for marks inside 50m.
West Coast spearhead Josh Kennedy is the Coleman Medal leader with 71 goals. Crows Eddie Betts (52) and Taylor Walker (51) are third and fourth, respectively.
Crow Tom Lynch (26) and Eagle Mark LeCras (22) are No.1 and No.2 in the AFL for goal assists.
The two teams are also second and third in contested possessions per game, with Adelaide averaging 144.3 and West Coast 140.8. The two sides are also No.2 (West Coast) and No.3 (Adelaide) in average goals per game this season.
West Coast has an excellent balance of attack and defence – ranked No.2 in the League in points for and also (fewest) points against.
