Sydney are taking a positive but realistic approach into Saturday's showdown with Geelong at Skilled Stadium, acknowledging that even their best might not be good enough to beat the AFL powerhouse.

The Swans head into the match against the unbeaten Cats as huge $6.25 underdogs, even though the home side will be missing Brownlow Medal favourite Gary Ablett with an adductor injury.

The seventh-placed Swans have had an up-and-down start to the year and defender Ted Richards said they would need to be at 100 per cent to even come close to matching the unbeaten Cats.

"We're not going to be able to go down there and play around 75 per cent or 80 per cent and get away with it," Richards said on Friday.

"We need to play our best football and, even if we do, it's still probably going to be a close game.

"That's what we've set ourselves for ... we've focused mainly on ourselves and just trying to make sure we get the best potential out of ourselves.

"We're not worried too much about them as we know they're a good team."

The Swans were never comfortable in an unconvincing 19-point win over Richmond last week which typified their season so far.

They have impressed in patches but been hampered by inconsistency, illustrated in the fact they are yet to win games back-to-back.

"It has been a bit annoying that we have been playing some good football but we have dropped off," Richards said.

"... We have played some good football against (Geelong) in patches in the past but we're aware that patches of good football doesn't work.

"We're going to be try and playing four quarters of footy."

While Ablett is set to miss at least two games with a groin injury, the Cats will welcome back skipper Tom Harley and vice-captain Cameron Ling against the Swans.

Harley has not played in 2009 after undergoing knee surgery in the off-season, while Ling missed Geelong's last two games with an Achilles tendon strain.

Having made an emphatic start to the year after last year's grand final loss, Richards hoped the Cats were due for an off day but knew it was unlikely, especially at on home turf where they are unbeaten since late 2007.

"It would be great if they were off their game but you can't control that so we're just trying to make sure that we play to the best potential we can," he said.

"I think with Geelong and St Kilda both undefeated, these teams are the benchmark so it's a good challenge for us."

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