Essendon have plenty to play for this weekend despite the team’s slim finals hopes now appearing to be over.

Captain Matthew Lloyd will run out for his 250th game and the popular Paddy Ryder and Henry Slattery play their 50th games.

Also on Essendon’s side is the bizarre fact that the Crows have not beaten the Bombers in Melbourne in their past 11 attempts.

Adelaide go into the game on the back of an easy win against Richmond and are desperate to secure a place in the finals, while Essendon are licking their wounds after suffering a heart-breaking loss to West Coast in Perth.

Adelaide boast one of the competition’s best backlines with Ben Rutten, Nathan Bock and Graham Johncock leading the charge. Their cause has been helped with Scott Lucas again failing to come up for the game.

Lloyd is in form but the Bomber forward line has a less than settled look with Jason Laycock, Heath Hocking and Sam Lonergan named beside regular forwards Angus Monfries and Adam McPhee.

This game shapes as a low scoring affair and the Bombers will be hoping Leroy Jetta and Andrew Lovett – who have both been named on the wing – will run their opponents off their legs and also chip in for team lifting goals.

After a tough few weeks, David Hille, Jobe Watson, Brent Stanton and Ricky Dyson will be looking to rediscover their dominance in the middle against a strong-bodied Adelaide group headlined by Scott Thompson, Nathan Van Berlo, Simon Goodwin and Tyson Edwards.

Adelaide will be without the skilled Bernie Vince who will miss with injury.

Essendon’s settled back six look to have the edge over a severely depleted Crows forward line and this could be the deciding factor.

Dustin Fletcher, Ryder, Slattery and Mal Michael will be joined by the inform Andrew Welsh and the dynamic Courtenay Dempsey in his second game back from long-term injury.

Andrew McLeod is dangerous up forward and will set an AFL record this week as he plays his 301st game - the most ever by an Indigenous player. He will be assisted by a raft of Crows players who have potential to pop up for goals, however without Jason Porplyzia and Brett Burton, Adelaide could struggle to kick a winning score.

Last time the teams met the Crows got away with a lucky win but it was a game that started the Bombers’ mid-season turn around.

Essendon has only made one change with veteran, Damien Peverill, returning from injury at the expense of Rhys Magin.

Emergency: Johnson Magin Hooker