Adelaide coach Neil Craig has set the scene for an AFL semi-final of contrasts by declaring his side won't change much to combat a Collingwood side that seems geared specifically for the Crows.

Wily Magpies coach Mick Malthouse has injected plenty of run into his 22 for Saturday's clash at the MCG, while also recalling Cameron Wood, the best ruckman on the ground when Collingwood won at AAMI Stadium in round 19.

But Craig said he was not about to get caught up in the tactical maze of how best to thwart Collingwood, instead backing his side to maintain their irrepressible football of the past month against one of the league's top four sides.

The Crows will likely run two taggers in the shape of Michael Doughty and Robert Shirley, both to rotate between the likes of Dane Swan, Leon Davis and Alan Didak.

But that is where the Magpie-specific thinking will end.

"We've gone through that and if we need to do that (tag two players) we will, but we're not going to just throw the whole way we've been playing out the window because of one game and what rides on it," Craig said on Friday.

"We've got to be better than that. We're not going to change everything because the stakes are higher.

"What we'll do as a football club is back in what's enabled us to get this far.

"We as a football club are not into changing everything from week to week based on the opposition. That's not the way we do it."

Craig also went on the front foot to reject the view that Adelaide's outstanding recent form has been the result of playing the rest rather than the best.

"We can only do what we can do against the opposition that is put up against us," he said.

"We're down to the last six teams in the comp now, so we'll get a better idea of our form as the best teams left in the comp start to play each other.

"I thought our performance against Carlton, who had won seven out of eight and were up and running, (was outstanding).

"I don't know what more we could've done there.

"Tomorrow night will be outdoors at the MCG in front of a big pro-Collingwood crowd and we understand that.

"We don't expect to have it all our way."

The Magpies were the butt of much derision following their loss to St Kilda, but Craig said he saw glimpses of how dangerous they could be throughout that match.

"Everyone has been fairly critical of Collingwood's performance last week, but I saw some outstanding passages and blocks of play where they looked like they were threatening to take the game away from St Kilda," he said.

"They finished fourth and they're an outstanding side, a hardened, outstanding side coached by a very experienced coach.

"(But) we've had a lot of (experience with) that man-on-man style this year. "We had it last time Collingwood and in the first game against Collingwood and out here I thought our ball movement was pretty good."

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