North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says he will use the tricks he learned at Collingwood to help his players conjure an AFL victory against Sydney at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Scott spent three years as a Magpies assistant coach - a period which coincided with a phenomenal run of success over the Swans.

The Magpies have beaten Sydney in eight consecutive matches, and Scott will have no hesitation in deploying similar tactics in his new role as Kangaroos coach.

"I'm acutely aware that Collingwood have beaten Sydney eight times in a row now and I was obviously there for the three years prior to coming to North Melbourne," Scott said.

"So I have an intricate knowledge of what Collingwood do to beat Sydney, so we're certainly going to apply some of those tactics this week.

"We think that will give us a huge advantage."

Scott's declaration of intent sets up an intriguing battle, with Sydney looking like finals contenders after winning two of their opening three matches and just falling short against red-hot St Kilda in the other.

Sydney's dominance around the stoppages and centre clearances is set to provide the Kangaroos' promising midfield a tough test.

Andrew Swallow, Liam Anthony and the emerging Ryan Bastinac all impressed in North's opening win of the season against West Coast.

But Scott admits they will have to lift even further against an experienced Swans midfield which loves to throttle opposition sides around the stoppages.

"They've got a long list of very strong midfielders and it's a very good test for our young midfielders," Scott said on Friday.

"We're throwing them in and we're giving them great opportunities to play those roles, and they're talented players, so we expect them to perform."

Both teams have named unchanged line-ups, though Scott hinted any late change for fitness reasons could mean exciting first-year player Ben Cunnington getting a call-up from the emergencies.

"He's an emergency this week, so Ben's got a little bit of a sniff this week. He'll train with the senior squad today," Scott said.

"We do have great competition for spots and while we keep winning, it will be a hard side to break into."

Sydney have named small forward Jarred Moore despite an ankle injury picked up in last weekend's shellacking of Richmond.

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