Essendon are optimistic captain Matthew Lloyd will play St Kilda at Telstra Dome in Friday night's round five AFL game after he was cleared of any major damage in his right calf muscle.

The Bombers full-forward sat out his side's loss to the Western Bulldogs last Friday night because of the injury.

But scans revealed Lloyd has a build-up of fluid in the calf, which caused the soreness.

The Bombers might yet regain their spearhead for the match against the Saints, depending on how he trains this week.

"The results of the scans are very good news, there is no tear and Matthew is a possibility to return to the side on Friday night," team manager David Calthorpe said.

"Matthew's calf improved significantly over the weekend and the results of today's scans make us more optimistic that he will play, which would be great news for the club and our fans.

"While he is very important to our side we won't be taking any risks with him.

"We need to wait and see how he pulls up after training during the week but, for now, the signs are good."

Lloyd's return would provide a much-needed target in Essendon's forward line, as centre half-forward Scott Lucas is still sidelined by a knee injury.

The Bombers have one of the longest injury lists in the competition, which also includes midfielder Mark McVeigh, whose great start to the season was derailed by a hamstring injury suffered against the Bulldogs.

McVeigh could miss up to four games and Essendon coach Matthew Knights admits Essendon might have to investigate why the club has suffered so many hamstring injuries in recent times.

Collingwood, meanwhile, appear unlikely to regain their skipper this weekend, as midfielder Scott Burns is also sidelined by calf soreness.

Burns sat out Sunday's loss to Carlton, in what would have been his 250th game, after he pulled up sore after training the day before.

He will be monitored this week to determine whether he can play North Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday night, but he could yet miss another two games, including the round six clash against the Bombers on Anzac Day.

North will be without defender Josh Gibson because of a knee problem.

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