THE SYDNEY Swans are expecting a strong backlash from a wounded Essendon this week, but are focusing on establishing their own winning streak before the bye.

The Bombers tarnished what had been an excellent season to date last round, with Melbourne picking up its first win of the year with an upset six-point victory over James Hird's side.

Swans co-captain Jarrad McVeigh knows Essendon will be determined to bounce back hard at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night, but says the match is just as important for his team.

The Swans rebounded from a poor loss to St Kilda with a 92-point thrashing of the Western Bulldogs last week, moving them to 7-3 for the season, just one win behind the second-placed Bombers.

"I obviously watch a lot of their games because my brother [Mark plays for Essendon] and they've been in really good form all year," McVeigh said ahead of training in Sydney on Tuesday.

"They had a slip-up on the weekend, which they would be fairly disappointed about, and would be looking to come out hard this week and we know it's going to be a really tough game.

"They're going to want to play well and we want to play well also and get two wins in a row going into the break. It's a critical game for both teams, so we'll be fired up. We need to keep our ball rolling."

The Swans face some tough selection decisions, with Luke Parker to be sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a broken collarbone and Ben McGlynn suspended.

McVeigh said a number of players are in the mix for a call-up including Matt Spangher, who is inching closer to his first game of the year after an injury-interrupted pre-season.

"We've obviously got the likes of Spangher and [Nick] Malceski and Tommy Walsh there," he said.

"Those two players are a bad loss for us and they've both been in good form.

"But I'm sure whoever comes in will do their job."

Josh Kennedy is likely to take on Essendon captain Jobe Watson at stages during the game, according to McVeigh, in a key match-up.

The Swans' form has fluctuated in recent weeks, coupling heavy victories over the Bulldogs and Demons with defeats on the road against St Kilda and Richmond.

They are keen to maintain the intensity they showed against the Bulldogs this weekend.

"Consistency is what you want," McVeigh said.

"We don't want to drop our standards any week. To be a quality team, you have to play at a high level every week.

"Over the last month we've been up and down and we need to keep that good form going."