Melbourne are hopeful captain James McDonald and Colin Sylvia are on the verge of returning to the AFL.

The experienced midfielders have missed that last two games and are also out of action for Sunday's twilight match against St Kilda.

Sylvia had to go to hospital because of a blood clot in his foot, while McDonald is recovering from a hamstring injury.

The good news for the Demons is that Sylvia will return through the VFL this weekend.

Coach Dean Bailey said McDonald will also try to have a full week of training in a bid to ready for a return next weekend.

St Kilda will start strong favourites against the Demons, but Bailey is calling on his side to play with much more aggression and be prepared to take risks.

He said the Demons had worked this week on trying to overcome their slow starts, which have been a noticeable problem.

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