St Kilda faces a herculean task to grab fourth spot and the double chance as the AFL home and away season reaches its climax on Sunday.

The Saints are the only one of the eight finalists in action on the last day of the home and away season and face 12th-placed Essendon at Telstra Dome in the Sunday twilight game - a match they should win comfortably.

But the Saints need to beat the injury-hit Bombers by nearly 100 points to be able to catch fourth-placed Adelaide on percentage and take the double chance.

The Saints are a win and nearly five percent behind the Crows so need to beat Essendon by at least 90 points to have a chance of finishing in the top four and setting up a qualifying final against reigning premier and red-hot flag favourites Geelong in the first week of the finals.

But even just a regulation Saints victory will guarantee Ross Lyon's team a fifth-placed finish and a home-state elimination final against Collingwood next week.

The most likely finals line-up next week will see the two qualifying finals played between Hawthorn and the Bulldogs and Geelong and Adelaide - with the Crows taking advantage of North's shock slip-up against Port Adelaide on Saturday to move into fourth spot.

Both finals will be played at the MCG with the Hawks-Dogs clash likely to be Friday night and the Geelong-Crows clash on Saturday afternoon.

The elimination finals would then be between Sydney and the Kangaroos in Sydney on Saturday night and the Saints and the Pies at the MCG on Sunday.

But should the Saints suffer a shock loss to Essendon, they would forfeit the chance of home advantage in the finals and would finish eighth.

In that case the Saints would then have to travel to Sydney for their elimination final - as the Swans would move up to fifth on the ladder, while the Kangaroos would then enjoy an MCG elimination final against the Magpies.