There are some serious droughts ready to be broken in the AFL this weekend.

While AFL coaches might often claim the recent history between teams means nothing, it certainly means a lot to Carlton, Hawthorn and Richmond supporters this week.

All three face critical games against teams they have not beaten for far too long in St Kilda, Sydney and West Coast respectively. And the stakes could hardly be higher.

But this time the odds appear to be in favour of the Blues, Hawks and Tigers all ending their respective droughts.

The Saints have won their past 10 matches against Carlton dating back to 2001 - a club record - yet incredibly still trail 45 wins to 156 on the all-time head-to-head record.

However, a win for the Blues on Friday night will see them replace the Saints in the top eight and there is no doubt they have improved significantly since their last loss to Ross Lyon's team by 40 points in Round 2.

Since then the Saints have won just five of 12 games, with their biggest scalp being the 10th-placed Kangaroos on the Gold Coast in Round 14, while Carlton has recorded seven victories in the same period, including two wins over fifth-placed Collingwood.

And another significant factor in the Blues' favour is they have already played eight matches at the MCG this season – including their past three – while the Saints are yet to play there this season.

Hawthorn, meanwhile, has lost its past six games against Sydney dating back to 2003 but will never get a better chance to break the barren run than this Sunday at the MCG.

A win for the Hawks would all but secure a top-four finish and the double chance in the finals. They meet a Swans side not only coming off a disappointing home loss to Collingwood but reeling from having to suspend spearhead Barry Hall indefinitely for personal reasons.

Then there is Richmond which heads to Perth to take on West Coast and desperate for the win it needs to keep its slim finals hopes alive.

The Tigers have lost their past seven matches to the Eagles dating back to 2002 but meet a West Coast side enduring its worst ever season and coming off a record 135-point home loss to Geelong in their most recent match at Subiaco.

Richmond coach Terry Wallace and Carlton coach Brett Ratten this week took vastly different approaches to the recent run of