AFL Round 16 Betting Preview: Game Odds, Trends, Analysis for Week Ahead

The Western Bulldogs' premiership defense could be all but over should they lose this week's Round 16 clash with second-place Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Friday night.

Eight weeks ago, the Dogs had moved to fourth on the ladder, and there were no end of people willing to suggest they were on the path to back-to-back flags.

Now they go into a do-or-die clash with the Crows as $3.40 AUD outsiders, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, knowing a defeat could see them eight points out of the top eight with just seven matches remaining.

As the fixture would have it, these two teams haven't met since Round 7 last year, a match which the Dogs won in a high-scoring affair. In 2015, they played a pulsating elimination final which the Crows won by seven points.

Adelaide have been well-backed into $1.32, but their midseason form has been indifferent, albeit enough to keep them inside the top two and poised for a double chance come September.

There are just the two matches this week featuring top-eight clashes, with fourth-placed Richmond playing eighth-placed St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, and seventh (West Coast) hosting fifth (Port Adelaide) on Sunday afternoon.

Punters are finally starting to believe Richmond are genuine premiership threats and have them as $1.54 favourites against the Saints, who have slowly rebuilt their form over recent weeks but find themselves $2.50 outsiders here.

Richmond have won four of their past five, including arguably their best win of the season last week away to Port Adelaide, but the fact remains that was just their second win against a team currently inside the top eight.

It's a similar story for the Saints, who have bettered those teams below them but struggled against the top sides.

Flat-track bully is a tag also levelled at Port Adelaide after they again failed to beat a top-eight side last week. Their credibility is on the line when they travel to play the Eagles, who beat them by 10 points in Adelaide in Round 7.

West Coast turned a corner with a tough win over the Dogs this week and, with a 5-2 record at home this year, they are $1.58 betting favourites here. Port Adelaide have not played the Eagles in Perth in three years and are $2.40 to repeat that 2014 success.

Cut adrift of the eight, both Essendon and Collingwood are under pressure to put underwhelming performances behind them when they meet at the MCG.

The buzz of the Anzac Day win over the Magpies must seem a world away for coach John Worsfold, with the Bombers having won just three of nine matches since, culminating in last week's embarrassing loss to Brisbane.

Collingwood have their own troubles, having lost three straight to heap further pressure on coach Nathan Buckley. A loss here could be fatal to his coaching future, and the market is predicting that with Essendon the $1.81 favourites and Collingwood at $2.00.

The team which beat the Magpies last week, Hawthorn, are $2.80 outsiders when they host Greater Western Sydney ($1.44) in Launceston.

In-form Sydney ($1.14) are expected to easily beat Gold Coast ($5.80), as are Geelong ($1.19) when they travel to Brisbane to play the Lions ($4.75).

North Melbourne are $1.63 favourites to lift themselves up from 17th when they host Fremantle ($2.30), while Melbourne ($1.58) are tipped to bounce back from last week's loss when they play Carlton ($2.40) at the MCG on Sunday.