Melbourne might have won the past four annual Queen's Birthday showdowns against arch-rival Collingwood but the Demons will have to pull off one of the most miraculous wins in their long and proud history if they are to make it five in a row on Monday.
The biggest clash of Melbourne's season could hardly have come at a worse time for the league's oldest club, which will also officially celebrate its 150th anniversary with a major event at Melbourne's Crown Casino on Saturday night.
The Demons, already struggling in last place with just one win from 10 games and with their lowest percentage after Round 10 since 1919, simply can't afford to be humiliated by their greatest rivals on Monday.
But everything points to another day Demons fans will want to forget considering Dean Bailey's struggling team has now lost Russell Robertson for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, his loss coming virtually right on top of the forced retirement of skipper David Neitz.
That robs the Demons' attack of the two men who between them have kicked 1030 goals and led the club's goalkicking in every season since 2001.
Melbourne is up against a Collingwood side that will not only be itching to avenge its recent losses to the Demons in the fixture that still holds the record for the biggest attendance in home and away history - 99,346 in 1958 - but has won its past two games by a total of 186 points.
However Bailey insists there is one thing that cannot be taken away from his team, its spirit, and he expects it to be on display by the bucket load on Monday.
"It is a huge game and there is no doubt the club looks forward to this game," he said.
"We very much have the underdog mentality, they are in ripper form and we are at the other end of the scale."
"And with David and Russell not there they (his young players) need to put their best foot forward because there is a lot of expectation on them now. This is a great club with great history and we need to get back on track."
The Demons are not the only struggling side facing a tough task this week with 14th-placed Essendon at long odds to beat league leader Hawthorn, which is coming off its first loss of the season.
And the other bottom four teams in West Coast and Fremantle face equally difficult games against fifth-placed Sydney at Subiaco and seventh-placed Brisbane at the Gabba respectively.
The only two top eight sides that meet this week are North Melbourne and Geelong on Friday night at Telstra Dome although ninth-placed St Kilda meets the third-placed Western Bulldogs at the Dome on Sunday while in the other two games, the two South Australian sides in Adelaide and Port will start warm favourites against Richmond and Carlton respectively.