Adelaide and Carlton have met 33 times. The Blues hold the overall advantage 18-15.

Carlton has won four of the past five meetings between the two teams, including the most recent match by five points at the MCG in the same round (10) last season.

Saturday’s clash is Adelaide’s one and only game at the MCG in the 2015 home and away season.

The match will be Carlton caretaker coach John Barker’s first ‘home’ game after taking over from Mick Malthouse ahead of the club’s clash with the Sydney Swans last Friday night.

The Crows and Blues have not played a game for premiership points in South Australia since 2010.

The Crows snapped a five-game losing streak at the MCG with a win over Collingwood at the venue in Round 18 last season.

The biggest-ever crowd for a game between the Crows and the Blues was 59,233 in the Semi-Final at Waverley Park in 1993.

Kade Simpson had 37 possessions and kicked a goal in Carlton’s narrow win over Adelaide last year. South Australian Troy Menzel was the Blues’ leading goalkicker with three. Eddie Betts starred in his first match against his old team, slotting four goals in a losing side.

Big-bodied Blues midfielder Tom Bell is equal-12^th in the AFL for inside 50ms (42) one behind Crow Patrick Dangerfield, who has generated 43 forward 50m entries.

Bell also leads Carlton’s goalkicking with 10. Betts is Adelaide’s leading goalkicker with 31 – ranked second in the competition.

Crows Eddie Betts and Tom Lynch are equal-third in the competition for score assists (18).

Carlton is ranked fourth in the AFL for clearances, averaging 41.8 per game. The Crows are No.1 with an average of 43.4. Ruckman Cameron Wood is adept at the stoppages, leading the Blues for clearances (47) as well as hit-outs (209).

The Blues average fewer tackles (54.9) than any team in the League this season.

Carlton half-forward Andrejs Everitt is top 20 in the League for marks (60). Crows skipper Taylor Walker is second with 72.

Adelaide Hall of Famer Tony Modra holds the record for most Crows goals in a game against Carlton. Modra booted 13.3 against the Blues at Football Park in Round One, 1994.

The Blues have the fourth-highest kick-to-handball ratio (1.35). Adelaide is ranked No.1 (1.55).

In-form Blue Sam Docherty is equal-12^th for long kicks, while Simpson is 17^th for short kicks.

Carlton captain Marc Murphy, who is in doubt with a calf complaint, leads the club in disposals (197) this season ahead of Docherty (191) and Bell (183).

The Crows are the second-best contested possession team in the League, averaging 145.3 per game. It’s an area the Blues have struggled in, averaging 133.2 – ranked 15^th.

On the back of an equal-AFL record 29 contested possessions against Fremantle, Patrick Dangerfield is third in the AFL in this statistic (134).

Young onballer Patrick Cripps has won more contested possessions (96) and hard-ball gets (43) than any other Blue despite having played only seven matches.

The injury-hit Blues have already used 35 players this season – only Gold Coast has fielded more of its playing list (39). The Crows, who have also had their injury battles, have fielded 29. The unbeaten Dockers have used 26 players – the fewest of any team in the competition.