Sydney are bracing for star forward Lance Franklin to be double teamed by the Western Bulldogs' defence when the Swans play for top spot on Saturday.

Franklin has saved some of his finest performances for the Bulldogs, most memorably in the 2008 finals series, and is set to receive plenty of attention from Luke Beveridge's men at the SCG.

The superstar forward was overtaken by West Coast's Josh Kennedy in the Coleman Medal race but can return to the top with two or more goals.

The Bulldogs' defence has been decimated by injury this season but, with the exception of the injured Bob Murphy, have their first choice back six available to take on the Swans.

The return of All Australian defender Easton Wood is shaping as a major factor in the game given the Bulldogs stand-in captain's ability to zone off his opponent to block opposition marking targets.

Franklin was held to three goals when the two sides last met in the wet but the man who stood him that day, Michael Talia, will be sitting in the stands as an injured Swan. The job is likely to fall to his long-time foe Dale Morris or impressive newcomer Marcus Adams.

"The first part is is we have to get it in there enough, break through that pressure and give Lance a chance up forward," Swans assistant coach Henry Playfair said.

"Supply is a big thing for all our forwards, that will be a critical part, how many times we can get it in.

"The Dogs are pretty good at zoning off, they all get across and help each other really well. We're going to try and isolate and get him one-on-one."

Victory for the Swans will see them return to the top of the ladder for the first time since round three, while a loss will leave them in the big pack of teams with a 10-4 record.

The Swans have been beaten for contested possessions in each of their three losses this season and come up against the No.1 ranked team in that department.

Part of the Bulldogs' strength comes from pushing an extra man to the stoppage. The Swans will have to decide whether to respond by matching that extra or deploying their spare at the next contest up the ground.

"It's a bit of a balancing act, at times they can bring one in and they'll hold their six forwards and mix it up," Playfair said.

"We've had a look at it and thrown around a few ideas to combat that. I won't give away too much, we've got a few different strategies to get on top of that.

"That's a technical part of the game. It'll be important but our intensity and hardness is more important."