They travel to Melbourne to take on premiers Collingwood knowing that the last time the teams met the Lions were victorious.
Along with Geelong, they're the only club in the AFL that can say that.
The win came in round 10, 2010, at the Gabba when the Lions snuck home by eight points on the back of a big second half fightback.
While primary avenues to goal that night Brendan Fevola and Jonathan Brown (who kicked four goals each) will not be on the field this time, one man that had a big game that night will return to action at the MCG.
After six weeks on the sidelines with stress reactions in his foot, Daniel Rich starred in the reserves last weekend and is expected to line up against the Magpies.
The Club: Collingwood Magpies
2011 so far: After winning the premiership last season, big things were expected of the Magpies in 2011 and they have delivered. Despite a three-point loss against Geelong in round eight they have been almost faultless in charging to the top of the ladder and towards another flag. The off-field distractions surrounding coach Mick Malthouse and defender Heath Shaw's eight-match suspension for gambling have had no adverse effects on their on-field performances. Collingwood are still the benchmark and deserved premiership favourites.
The Coach: Mick Malthouse is arguably the biggest name in the game at the moment and whether it's by design or good luck, the focus on his future all season has certainly taken the attention off of his players. Malthouse will be succeeded by Nathan Buckley as the Magpies' coach next season and his own future has dominated the headlines. Malthouse has a remarkable coaching record over 28 seasons that has seen him lead Footscray, West Coast and Collingwood. He has three premierships and a winning rate of 58 per cent in coaching 658 matches.
The Star: Dane Swan has elevated his game over the past four seasons to be one of the competition's elite players. He does not look particularly fast, strong or athletic, but through sheer hard work the 27-year-old has turned himself into a prolific ball winner. He can win the contested ball and also spreads well. Swan has averaged more than 31 disposals per game the past three seasons and has rebounded from a quad injury to again reach his scintillating best in 2011.
The Sleeper: Darren Jolly is arguably the most important player in the team. The former Swan and Demon ruckman is a dominant big man and not only gives his midfield first use of the ball, but is also capable of going forward to kick goals. Matthew Leuenberger played one of his best games for the Lions last weekend but up against the 200cm, 108kg Jolly, faces a whole new challenge on Saturday night.
The Young Gun: After a slow start to his career, key defender Ben Reid is now a crucial cog in the Collingwood wheel. Reid was taken at No. 8 in the 2006 National Draft and played just eight matches in his first three years. But last season the 22-year-old established himself with a number of terrific shut-down jobs on big name forwards. He has good speed and good reach and has shown his aerobic capacity by going with St Kilda skipper Nick Riewoldt last week.
Strengths: Collingwood have strengths all over the ground. They are particularly tough in the midfield with an army of medium-sized players that can win the hard ball but also go forward and kick goals. They use high rotation numbers and run the four quarters out better than any team in the competition. There are no shortcuts to beating the Magpies.
Weaknesses: If the Magpies had any noticeable weaknesses, they would have lost more than twice in their past 35 matches (and both of those were by less than a kick). They are not blessed with an over-abundance of key position players, but the army of players getting to every contest more than makes up for that.
Michael Whiting covers Brisbane Lions news for afl.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @mike_whiting.
