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A sidebar to the must-win AFL match between the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle is the clash of the midfield titans, Marcus Bontempelli and Nat Fyfe.

He's been called the best player in the AFL competition, but Western Bulldogs midfield ace Marcus Bontempelli will get a true test of his credentials against Fremantle skipper Nat Fyfe in their Marvel Stadium clash on Sunday.

Fyfe returns after a week out with an infected elbow to set up a tantalising showdown in a must-win match for both teams.

Essendon great Tim Watson this week called Bontempelli the hottest player in the league, averaging 26.3 disposals and 6.1 clearances.

But Fyfe has played some of his best ever football against the Bulldogs, notably his round five display last year when he clocked up a career-high 43 disposals.

Fyfe has had more of the ball in 2019, averaging 29.1 disposals per game, but Bontempelli has gained more metreage, with an average of 506.8 metres per game to 362.2.

The last time the two squared off Brownlow Medallist Fyfe had 30 disposals and Bontempelli had 22.

His performances have helped the Dockers dominate the Bulldogs, winning eight of the last nine encounters including a 19-point victory in round six.

Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge said they would need Bontempelli to be at this best to stop that trend.

"We're going to need him to play well against the Dockers, who've got some big mids who can really push you around so his craft will need to be good," Beveridge said.

The Bulldogs will have their hands full with the Dockers line-up including three genuine ruckmen in Aaron Sandilands, Rory Lobb and Sean Darcy.

Fremantle have recalled feisty goal-sneak Hayden Ballantyne, who hasn't played since suffering an injury in round one.

Veteran Bulldogs defender Dale Morris is also a good news story, making his first senior appearance of the season after recovering from a serious knee injury.

Sitting 12th - one spot behind the Dockers - the Bulldogs' run of three wins ended a heavy loss to St Kilda last round.

The Saints led 40-1 at the first change to set up the win and Beveridge said his team couldn't afford a similar start which he called a "disaster".

"If you go back and watch the quarter and see how many times we turned the ball over by hand and by foot ... we were our own worst enemy," he said.

"Every now and then we have those quarters and they're the ones we've got to carve out."

Beveridge said the Dockers could be a tricky proposition.

"They can out-work you, they win their gains by stealth," he said.

"There's some interesting strategies there and we're not quite sure what to expect from a tactical point of view.

"We need to work out exactly what our plan A is and carry it our to the letter to give ourselves the best chance."