If you believe in hoodoo's, and rightly backed the Cats to continue their eight-game winning streak over the Hawks last week, then David Murdoch has another one for you.

The 'Kennett curse' fades by comparison to this one. The Pies have had it all over the Swans for ten encounters stretching back six years.

But over the past half a dozen years, Collingwood have never faced a Swans side in this sort of form.

They've won nine straight and will have been looking to this clash as the measuring stick for some time. Home turf should help the Swans, an yet countering this is the fact that while Sydney has won eight of their last nine matches at home, and their last three at ANZ, travelling doesn't appear to bother Collingwood: they've won their last five away games.

It shouldn't be a surprise to anybody that the top three teams on the AFL ladder after 19 rounds rank in the top four for contested possession.

Sydney and Collingwood have been great in the trenches during the course of the year but they'll be missing two of their best come Saturday.

The Swans will line-up without Jude Bolton (knee injury), while the Pies will take on the ladder leaders without Brownlow medallist Dane Swan (booze ban).

On balance you'd have to say its Sydney who will be hardest hit as the Collingwood midfield production line just seems to churn them out and fill the gaps well.

So the question arises - can the likes of Kieren Jack, Dan Hannebery and Josh Kennedy handle Scott Pendlebury, Dayne Beams and Dale Thomas?

On the form shown over the past couple of months the answer has to be 'yes'.

The battle in the ruck will also go a long way to determining the outcome of this one, with former Swan Darren Jolly shouldering the burden of facing Sydney's twin towers Shane Mumford and Mike Pyke.

While Travis Cloke has crept up into the top eight in the Coleman medal race, the Swans have had an impressive spread of goal scorers, with Lewis Jetta leading the way.

If the Swans are going to snap this losing streak against Collingwood, it's Jetta who will have to fire. The Pies simply can't match him for pace.

Despite the loss of Bolton and Sam Reid I think the Swans can get the job done at home.

Best Bet @ Betfair

Sydney by 8 points