The Crows reported a clean bill of health from their 96-point thrashing of Essendon and have three key players on the verge of making a return.
Rob Shirley (hamstring) is expected to join his teammates for the club’s main training session on Wednesday night while Nathan Bock (heel) and Nathan van Berlo (back) will also try and prove their fitness.
Bock has not played since being diagnosed with a fractured heel in round 18.
He completed two training sessions last week before ruling himself out of Friday night’s game against the Bombers.
Van Berlo failed to train and at all but has made significant progress in his recovery from a back strain.
Van Berlo’s replacement Richard Douglas finished with 18 possessions and two goals in the big qualifying final win and young Crow Patrick Dangerfield said the match committee would be faced with some tough decisions if the injured trio were given the all clear.
"It’s a really good sign for the football club. The fact that there’s some pressure for selection shows the depth that we’ve got and that can only help the team, it won’t hinder us that for sure," Dangerfield said on Monday.
"It’s for the coaches to decide who comes back and who goes out."
Shirley did the job on Magpies’ playmaker Dane Swan when the two sides met at AAMI Stadium last month, but veteran Michael Doughty has stepped up over the past two weeks with tagging roles on Carlton skipper Chris Judd and key Bomber Jobe Watson.
Dangerfield said Shirley was a crucial component of the Adelaide side especially up against the likes of Swan, Alan Didak and Leon Davis.
"Shirls’ attack on the footy has been sensational all year and that’s something that’s really important for us," he said.
"Once he gets given a job he does that for the duration of the match. Nathan van Berlo can do a similar job and he’s another player we’d love to come back into the side."
Collingwood was left licking its wounds following Sunday’s loss to St Kilda.
The Pies will be without star midfielder Scott Pendlebury, who has a fractured fibula, while Anthony Rocca is in doubt with an ankle injury.
The Crows will go into Saturday night’s game with the advantage of an extra two days break. Ruckman James Sellar said his side would make the most of the eight-day gap between games.
"Having an eight-day break allows you to freshen up and probably do a bit more on the training track on Wednesday. Whether it plays a role, I’m not really sure but it allows you to get a bit more out of training," Sellar said.
