Where and when: MCG, Saturday, September 18, 7.20pm AEST
Head to head: St Kilda 75 wins, Bulldogs 70 wins, three draws
Last time: St Kilda 7.7 (49) d Western Bulldogs 6.10 (46), round six, 2010 at Etihad Stadium

MISSING IN ACTION
St Kilda
Steven Baker (toe) - test
Raphael Clarke (hamstring) - season
Jarryn Geary (general soreness) - test
Jesse Smith (ankle) - season

Western Bulldogs
Adam Cooney (hamstring) - season
Ayce Cordy (shoulder) - season
Shaun Higgins (illness) - season
Dale Morris (back) - test
Sam Reid (shoulder) - season
Shane Thorne (knee) - season

FORM
St Kilda: WWWLW
Western Bulldogs: LLWLW

SUMMARY
For weeks now the Bulldogs have been written off as the least likely of the top-four teams to win the premiership. Injuries and some unwelcome off-field events have combined to make the run home a difficult one for the Dogs. But they have made it to the penultimate week of the year and are not without a chance against the Saints. St Kilda is said to be in the easier half of the draw but there are no easy games in September. The Saints were good in the win over Geelong but only just scraped over the line and are hardly all-conquering at the moment. Their midfield is a hard one for the Dogs to match up on but they are more than capable of going head to head with them. The Bulldogs’ main advantage is their forward line, particularly Barry Hall who could pose problems for the Saints' defence.

PLAYER TO WATCH
It’s a tradition that every team complains about being snubbed by All Australian selectors but Lenny Hayes’ omission from this year’s team will ensure he leaves nothing on the sidelines this week as he proves his worth.

Brad Johnson is literally playing every game like it is his last. True champions tend to step up on the biggest of stages and he has a good record against the Saints and can’t be dismissed just because he is coming to the end of his career.

QUESTION MARKS
Can the Bulldogs pull off an upset? The Dogs have run the Saints close a few times in recent years and on their day can beat them.

Will Steven Baker play? He is fit but the question mark is hovering over whether he can come back after 11 weeks out of the game.

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
The Saints have worked themselves into a fantastic position and they won’t blow it from here. Both sides have plenty of preliminary finals experience, but the Saints are the only ones to win one in recent years.

Chat with host Jennifer Witham and other fans in the AFL Match Centre on afl.com.au from 6.50pm Saturday night or join the conversation on Twitter: #aflsaintsdogs

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.