Adelaide Crows vs Essendon Bombers Prediction: Bombers won’t give in easily

Adelaide Oval will host this round 6 Australian Football League action between the Adelaide Crows and Essendon Bombers. Off to this game, the Crows ended their winless run the previous weekend, while the Bombers also returned to winning ways. Which of these two will get things kicking going?

The Adelaide Crows ended a poor season starting against a strong Carlton Blues last weekend and going into this game; they will look to make it two consecutive victories. Last weekend, a 98-100 win was all they needed to pick their first win of the season, even though they were massive underdogs in that game. In that game, Matthew Nicks' side cranked up the pressure in the final term against the undefeated Blues, as substitute Sam Berry was the hero of the day. In prior encounters to that win, the Adelaide Crows have lost their first four games of the season to the Gold Coast Suns, Geelong Cats, Fremantle Dockers and the Melbourne Demons. Ahead of this one, the Adelaide Crows could only still find themselves 14th in the league standings with just four points from a possible 20, with their percentile value being 81.80.

Following a disheartening 69-point defeat to the Port Adelaide Power, the Bombers rose to the test against Western Bulldogs the previous weekend and returned to winning. Despite being outplayed in the first half, they remained in the contest and ran over the top of the Western Bulldogs in the second half off the back of forward-half pressure. Essendon Bombers know there are still a lot of jobs left to be done as they head into this game. Having already picked up three wins in five matches this season, the fact that they are yet to win consecutive games, as they have only been alternating victories and defeats, will be a concern for them here. Starting the season with a defeat to Geelong Cats on the road, they were able to pick their first win on the road last weekend, while the other two wins came at home against the St Kilda Saints and Hawthorn Hawks. Seated on the 9th spot of the ladder, Essendon Bombers have a record of six wins in six games in the last games of this fixture, dating back to 2018.

The Adelaide Crows' record does not accurately display their gameplay this year. However, they still need a lot to do to get together as a team before I can trust them. Essendon Bombers looked dull at the start of their game against Western Bulldogs last weekend, but the fact they stepped up big in the second half reveals how much this team could be at the top level when they are at their best. While I expect the Essendon Bombers to start the game very well, Adelaide Crows as favorites will struggle as favorites; therefore, expecting the Bombers to get within the gap in what could potentially be a high-scoring game.