About 3000 public tickets (including standing room spots) are still left for Monday's match at the MCG, the Melbourne Cricket Club says. It's the first time for many years that the biggest home-and-away game of the year has not been sold out before Anzac Day itself.

With the Magpies and Bombers sitting on just one win each, the match has a different level of intrigue to previous clashes between two of the biggest clubs in the league. Collingwood, in particular, are under immense pressure having just extended the contract of coach Nathan Buckley and axed star forward Travis Cloke, who played in the VFL on Sunday.

An MCC spokesman said the club is still expecting a crowd of about 85,000, and MCC visitor tickets have sold out. But members of the public can buy tickets from gates 1 and 5, with public gates opening at 12.30pm for a 3.20pm start.

Gate 2 opens at noon for full and restricted MCC members and their guests to gain walk-up seating, but by 11.30am queues were already stretching back through Yarra Park towards Jolimont Station.

Seats in the AFL members' reserve have sold out but a small number of standing room tickets are still available.