Collingwood coach Craig McRae is optimistic ill midfielder Jordan De Goey will be cleared to play in the blockbuster AFL clash with Port Adelaide.
De Goey is battling a virus and was told to train away from his teammates on Thursday amid concern over his short-term health.
The 27-year-old was named in the Magpies' side for Saturday's trip to Adelaide Oval, where first meets second.
De Goey, who has played two games since serving a three-match suspension for rough conduct, has missed two team training sessions because of illness this week.
He was also left out of the round-five clash with St Kilda with a similar issue.
"The latest is he's viral, so like all our players who are a little bit sick we just don't want him in the rooms," Magpies coach Craig McRae told reporters on Thursday.
"We're anticipating he'll be here tomorrow and travel with us."
Collingwood will welcome back Darcy Cameron (back) and Brody Mihocek (hamstring) from injuries after they missed last week's thrashing of Fremantle.
Their returns put a squeeze on talls at the selection table, with Ash Johnson dropped to the emergency list and Billy Frampton left out altogether.
Collingwood, the outright premiership favourites, sit a game clear on top of the ladder and belted Port by 71 points in their most recent meeting - at the MCG in round two.
But McRae declared the Power the "best team in the competition for 14 or 15 weeks" and expects Ken Hinkley's side to rebound strongly after a slip-up against Carlton last round.
"They're a proud club, there's still a lot to play for in the season and they'll get some key players back," McRae said.
"A little bit of a sting at this time is not the end of the world.
"We're anticipating they're going to bring every bit of their best."
A huge crowd will be on hand in a possible grand final preview and McRae was happy to buy into the hype.
"Why would you play this game down? This is one of the best games that you'll see this year in terms of the opportunity to show what you're made of," McRae said.
"We're going to step into that. It's a tough draw to go over there and play them at their home ground but it is what it is.
"You embrace it all and then it's all about the process. We're trying to get better every day and this is another opportunity to see how we're going."
