Essendon v North Melbourne: AFL Thursday Preview

Essendon will look to bounce back to winning ways on Thursday when they take on North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.

The Bombers had won three games on the bounce before losing to Collingwood on Anzac Day, and will be keen to get back on track.

They will not get a better opportunity against a North Melbourne side that has just one win all season.

Alastair Clarkson’s side have lost the last five games on the bounce, most by a sizeable margin as they continue to concede way too many points.

There were some signs of encouragement against Port Adelaide, but they will need to raise their game to beat the Bombers.

It is the opening game of Round 8, and a big game for both at Marvel Stadium.

Essendon v North Melbourne betting preview

Bombers look to respond

Essendon had been going well with three wins on the bounce before they met high-flying Collingwood on Anzac Day.

Even then they were in the game for long periods until the Pies ran away with it in the last two quarters to win by 41 points.

The Bombers beat West Coast, Melbourne and Port Adelaide before that, and will fancy their chances against North.

There can be no room for complacency however as they only just beat West Coast by two points, and North should be up for the fight.

Essendon have won the last three meetings, but two of them were by just nine and six points.

Even so, Essendon can be backed at 5.50 to win this latest meeting by 13-24 points.

Peter Wright booted a couple of goals against Collingwood and is priced at 9.00 to kick the first, or 1.04 to score at anytime.

Kangaroos need a boost

North Melbourne have won just the one game this season, and wasted a good opportunity to make it two at Port Adelaide.

They ended up losing by nine points, but had enough chances to pick up a crucial four points.

The Kangaroos will look to take the positives into the clash with Essendon and can be backed at 6.50 to win a tight game by 1-12 points.

They can also be backed at 2.90 to start the game well and win the first quarter by 1-18 points.

Harry Sheezel continues to shine in difficult times and collected 30 disposals against Port Adelaide.

He can be backed at 2.15 to collect 30+ against the Bombers.

Read more AFL previews on site

Essendon v North Melbourne odds

Essendon - 1.38
North Melbourne - 3.10

View the full market and more odds for Essendon v North Melbourne on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.