Western Bulldogs vs. Carlton Blues prediction: Blues favored to win Sunday's AFL Round 23 matchup [8/16/2026]

The Western Bulldogs will square off with the favored Carlton Blues in Australian Football League (AFL) action at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, starting at 1:15 AM ET.

Dimers' advanced AFL model projects the Blues as the most likely winner in this Blues vs. Bulldogs prediction.

This article offers a closer look at Sunday's matchup, including best bets and picks.

Bulldogs vs. Blues prediction: Who will win Round 23 game?

Using trusted machine learning and data analysis, we have simulated the outcome of Sunday's AFL matchup between the Blues and Bulldogs, forming part of our AFL predictions coverage.

Our leading predictive model gives the Blues a 72.4% chance of defeating the Bulldogs.

According to our model, the Bulldogs (+20.5) have a 53.3% chance of covering the spread, while the 177.5-point over/under has a 50.5% chance of staying under,.

Carlton vs. Bulldogs odds

We have researched the best AFL odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

• Moneyline: Blues -270, Bulldogs +205

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Blues vs. Bulldogs picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best current odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets in this matchup. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

• Spread: Bulldogs +20.5 @ -115 via DraftKings
• Moneyline: Blues @ -270 via DraftKings
• Total: Under 177.5 @ -115 via DraftKings

According to our AFL best bets, the top play to make on this game is Bulldogs +20.5 at the spread.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the sportsbook odds.

Bulldogs vs. Blues game-day updates and essential details

Sunday's Australian rules football action between the Bulldogs and Blues at Marvel Stadium is scheduled to commence at 1:15 AM ET.

• Who: Carlton Blues vs. Western Bulldogs
• Date: Sunday, August 16, 2026
• Time: 1:15 AM ET/10:15PM PT
• Venue: Marvel Stadium

The AFL is available to bet on in the US through all major sportsbooks, with fans highlighting the high-octane 360-degree nature of the sport as a top reason to follow it.

Conclusion

We predict the Blues, with a 72.4% win probability, will likely beat the Bulldogs in Sunday's AFL matchup.

Additional tools and information for betting safely can be found in our Responsible Gambling hub.