<p>Saturday night footy returns under the lid, featuring the Western Bulldogs hosting Essendon in what could be a sneaky contender for game of the round.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>After a dismal opening fortnight, Essendon has, by and large, taken care of business by beating the teams they were expected to beat. Consequently, they find themselves just outside the top eight on percentage.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>They confirmed their good form by holding off a fast-finishing Swans outfit last week, although the reigning minor premiers are a shadow of the side they were last year.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The tests will come for the Bombers in the next month, starting with Saturday night against a highly-fancied Dogs side, who lost no admirers last week despite falling short to the Suns in the steamy Darwin conditions.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Despite losing no friends, the loss put the Dogs back in the logjam of teams in the lower part of the eight, and they need to keep winning to maintain their position or risk losing it.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>With both teams playing good footy, this should be a fun battle under the roof.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The Dons will once again need to dip into their tall key defensive stocks after Lewis Hayse became the latest tall Bomber sidelined with a long-term injury. Poor bugger doing your knee on debut.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>It means, come on down Jayden Laverde… one of the last key position players standing on the list… How many days until the mid-season draft?&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The Dogs will put Laitham Vandermeer through a fitness test after he was substituted out of the game against the Suns due to calf tightness.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>For the latest team news, analysis, odds, and betting tips, check out our Dogs vs Bombers prediction and preview below.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Western Bulldogs vs Essendon Predicted Teams</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Western Bulldogs Predicted Team List</h3> <p>B: Lachlan Bramble, James O’Donnell, Bailey Williams</p> <p>HB: Bailey Dale, Rory Lobb, Jason Johannisen</p> <p>C: Joel Freijah, Ed Richards, Sam Davidson</p> <p>HF: Matt Kenedy, Buku Khamis, James Harmes</p> <p>F: Rhylee West, Aaron Naughton, Ryley Sanders</p> <p>Foll: Tim English, Marcus Bontempelli, Tom Liberatore</p> <p>Int: Luke Cleary, Lachie McNeil, Caleb Poulter, Harvey Gallagher, Taylor Duryea</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Essendon Predicted Team List</h3> <p>B: Andy McGrath, Ben McKay, Jayden Laverde</p> <p>HB: Mason Redman, Zach Reid, Jaxon Prior</p> <p>C: Archie Roberts, Zach Merrett, Xavier Duursma</p> <p>HF: Archie Perkins, Nate Caddy, Nic Martin</p> <p>F: Kyle Langford, Peter Wright, Isaac Kako</p> <p>Foll: Todd Goldstein, Sam Durham, Will Setterfield</p> <p>Int: Archer Day-Wicks, Saad El-Hawli, Jye Caldwell, Ben Hobbs, Dylan Sheil</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Western Bulldogs vs Essendon Prediction &amp; Betting Tips</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Head-to-Head Prediction</h3> <p>Essendon snapped a run of three consecutive defeats to the Dogs last year, dating back to the 2021 Elimination Final. The Dogs still hold sway in the head-to-head, winning nine of the past 11 meetings.</p> <p>It’s a comforting return to Marvel for the Dogs, a place where they have won their last eight matches by an average margin of 43 points.&nbsp;</p> <p>One hallmark of the Dons' improvement has been their defense. Over the past five weeks, Essendon has conceded an average of just 73 points, ranking them among the best in the competition during this period.&nbsp;</p> <p>However, the ladder positions of the teams Essendon has faced in these six games are 2nd, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th. So, we’re about to learn a lot about them in this upcoming stretch.&nbsp;</p> <p>The emergence and growth of Zach Reid, who has been a slow burn due to persistent injury troubles, has seen him play eight consecutive games and show all the hallmarks of the key defender Essendon hoped they were choosing with a top-10 pick all those years ago.</p> <p>According to Wheelo Ratings, the Dogs are currently the best team in the competition regarding overall attacking and defensive profile. This is slightly surprising, given the Dogs rank second-last for rebound 50s; teams have been able to lock the ball into their defensive 50 and create scoring opportunities. A big game for Isaac Kako, then!</p> <p>We’re about to learn a fair bit about the Dons’ mettle, you’d think. We’re tipping the Bulldogs here, and it should be pretty comfortable for them too.</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> Bulldogs.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>First Goal Prediction</h3> <p>Bulldogs small forward Lachie McNeil has finally established himself as a key cog in Luke Beveridge’s side and forward mix. He’s been contributing on the board too, with goals in every game.</p> <p>He’s our pick to continue that. Hitting the board first in style.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Betting tip:</strong> Lachie McNeil.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>Most Disposals Prediction</h3> <p>I think if you asked Tom Liberatore himself if he’d still be going as he nears age 33, he’d probably say no. But the veteran son of the Scray is proving as pivotal to any Bulldog and is adding new threats to his game.</p> <p>Averaging 28.6 possessions a game this year, coming off a season-high 35 disposals last week, and averaging 29 possessions a game at Marvel this year, we’re looking at him to go big again.</p> <p><strong>Betting Tip:</strong> Tom Liberatore 30+ disposals.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Western Bulldogs vs Essendon Bombers Match Details</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Date:</strong> Saturday, May 17, 2025.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>First Bounce: </strong>7:35pm AEST.&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Location:</strong> Marvel Stadium, Melbourne.</p> <p><strong>How to watch: </strong>Fox Footy/Kayo Sports.</p>