Collingwood have been forced to make wholesale changes for Saturday's blockbuster against Carlton but, according to the Blues, that simply alters the dynamics, not the task.

The Magpies have been decimated by injuries and poor form and, with a whopping eight changes, will be standout underdogs for the MCG clash.

But they remain dangerous, according to Carlton assistant coach Brent Montgomery, who was stunned by Collingwood's sweeping moves.

"We haven't seen anything like that but what it does do is it makes them very unpredictable," Montgomery said on Saturday.

"While we thought we had a pretty good handle on them and we got two really good results last year against them, planning for them this time has been quite a lot more difficult.

"We've certainly gone to the same lengths and put the same amount of time in, we just have to look a lot deeper.

"It's a credit to them, the depth that they have got, and what they bring to the table when they come in is pretty much the same as those that go out.

"So they're well-drilled, well-coached, they've been able to get a lot of positive results out of that group over a fair period of time and we expect them to come with the same tenacity as the guys who went out."

Carlton key forward Brendon Fevola's form as been erratic in recent weeks but Montgomery said he and the rest of the team had continued to work hard to produce a more even contribution across the board.

"I think most importantly, he hasn't been on his own," Montgomery said.

"We've had five or six guys who have been non-contributors in our losses and that's where we need to get our evenness up, like a Collingwood's got."

Montgomery said Carlton would be motivated by the expected big crowd but needed to remain focused for the entire game.

"We don't want to rely on it, but certainly I think if you can't get up in front of 60, 70, 80,000 people there's something wrong with you.

"Playing Collingwood is as big as it gets for our guys and they need to appreciate that and come with the right attitude."

Carlton has made just one change, preferring young midfielder Mitch Robinson to the out-of-form Cameron Cloke.

Collingwood have named forwards Leon Davis and Paul Medhurst although both are carrying injuries.

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