The Semi Finals will see the Dees looking to bounce back against the Lions on Friday night footy. Meanwhile, the Magpie Army will be out in force as they face the underdog Freo Dockers at the MCG on Saturday night.<\/span><\/p>\n The Dees are coming off a disappointing loss against the Swans at the MCG and will be looking to rebound on Friday night. They were undisciplined by giving away 3 50m penalties that resulted in goals and their forward line struggled to convert opportunities into goals. Another concerning issue is a knee injury for Petracca. He’ll attempt to play through the injury but he surely won’t be at 100%. So the Dees will need their younger midfielders to stand up. However, their confidence will be high against Brisbane as they matchup well with the Lions. They thrashed them at the Gabba in the last round of the season and previously crushed them at this venue in the middle of the season. Melbourne knows how to expose the Lions defensive structures and the Oliver\/Gawn combo is a tough one to stop.<\/span><\/p>\n The Lions overcame their finals hoodoo at the Gabba last week with a massive win over the Tigers, 106-104. Considering they lost main ruckman Oscar McInter in the first quarter, it was a brilliant win. Lachie Neale was huge for the home side with 39 disposals and 15 clearances. McCluggage also continued his consistent season with 26 touches and a goal. Their forward line was productive as Daniher, Cameron and Hipwood all kicked 3 goals. But their backline is a concern against Melbourne. They gave up 104 pts against the Tigers and Melbourne has kicked an average of 116 pts in the 2 meetings this season.<\/span><\/p>\n There are several trends that just say Brisbane are up against it in this matchup. They have struggled against the Dees this year and their record at the MCG is very concerning. Their defence has struggled to contain points and Melbourne’s defence between May and Lever will be hard to get past. Meanwhile, the injury to Petracca is a big one for the Demons and their ability to kick a big score will likely be limited without him at full strength. So that should see a closer margin than the previous 2 encounters in 2022. But with Melbourne playing at home, they should get the job done by a 1-39 margin this time around. They have covered in 9 straight nine games against the Lions as well.<\/span><\/p>\n Stadium Record<\/b><\/p>\n Melbourne have lost 5 of their last 7 at the MCG. Brisbane’s last win at this venue was back in 2014 and they’ve lost 11 straight since.<\/span><\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/b><\/p>\nMelbourne Demons vs Brisbane Lions<\/b><\/h3>\n