Essendon are preparing to play a smaller forward line in Saturday's clash with Melbourne at the MCG, should forward Scott Lucas miss with a combination of ailments.

Lucas is a doubtful starter against the Demons after battling knee and ankle problems in the past six weeks as well as back spasms, which he sustained in the second half of the Bombers' win over Collingwood last Saturday.

The key forward left the track early in Wednesday afternoon's training run, finishing the session on a stationary bike.

Before training, coach Matthew Knights said he would rest Lucas if he did not show he had fully recovered from his sore spots.

"Scott's a very important player to our team and our set up," Knights said.

"We'd love him to be out there but unless he comes through today, I would've thought I'd go without him.

"If he doesn't train well ... I think (resting him) is the best option for him to give him this week (off).

"That way his body will refresh, it will give himself a week without that body on body competition, he may come up really well for the last part of the season."

If Lucas misses, it would mean the Bombers would lose their second key target in attack in as many weeks.

Jay Neagle was ruled out for the rest of the year last week with an ankle injury.

With no tall forwards in the VFL as possible replacements, Knights is confident the team can get by with smaller options in attack as it did during parts of last Saturday's game.

"In regards to options, as in big forwards in the VFL, there's not a lot of options to be blunt," Knights said.

"It might just be we'll become a little bit smaller in our front half, we did that for parts of the game against Collingwood last week.

"In any case we went smaller at times, the boys are well averse to doing that."

Knights said midfielder Andrew Lovett, who has now served out his club-imposed, two-match suspension for missing a training session, was not an automatic inclusion against Melbourne.

"He played quite well for Bendigo on Sunday, in a difficult game for Bendigo, he's training well. He's served his two-week sanction," he said.

"That's done and dusted now, we'll just select on merit."

The Bombers are an outside chance of making the finals after winning five out of the last six matches.

Knights believed his young group was mastering some techniques he had tried to instil in them at the beginning of the year.

He thought the group were getting better at clearing the ball from the stoppages and standing up in the physical stakes.

"I think our young players are fighting through tackles a lot better," Knights said.

"Earlier in the season our young bodies were getting pushed around and the ball was spilling out and opposition players were running away with it and kicking easy goals.

"I think we're learning to become stronger in tackles, be more resilient when we've got the ball in those real combat situations and that just takes experience."

Knights added the group was receptive to his methods and instructions, saying his players did not take feedback personally.

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