Geelong ruckman Mark Blake will stake his claim for AFL finals selection when the Cats clash with Carlton on Friday night at Etihad Stadium.

Blake was one of three inclusions for the Cats, who have had three key players affected by the `flu over the last few days.

Brad Ottens makes way for Blake because of his illness, while Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood were named in the side.

Blake was dropped for round 18, leaving him once again on the fringe of the team in the lead-up to September.

He forced his way back into the side late last year and finally played in a premiership team, after being dropped for the 2007 grand final.

The Cats also recalled star midfielder Joel Corey and key defender Harry Taylor from injury at the expense of Jeremy Laidler and Taylor Hunt.

Carlton are unchanged as they prepare for one of the biggest tests they have faced this season.

"The great thing about our side the last few weeks is it's been unchanged (and) it's always a good sign," said Blues assistant coach Robert Harvey.

"We've got faith with the guys that have done the job the last couple of weeks."

Harvey said the Blues could only assume Selwood and Bartel would play.

"Whatever happens they're going to be strong and we know that, so we'll prepare for that and pick a side that hopefully can be competitive," he said.

Three wins in a row would be double the satisfaction for the Cats.

The Blues will know exactly where they stand ahead of the finals when they take on the Cats, who flexed their considerable muscle last week with a 101-point mauling of the Western Bulldogs.

Carlton have not won three-straight this season and also have not beaten the Cats in three successive matches since 2000-01.

They gave the Cats plenty to think about when they outclassed them in round 19 last year and had arguably their best win of the season in round five, upsetting Geelong by six goals.

After a terrible loss to Collingwood in round 18, the Blues have hit back with big wins over Essendon and Richmond.

"It's come up internally and obviously we're not happy with our inconsistent form, but all we can go on is our last two weeks and its been pretty good," Harvey said.

"We feel like we're in some form now and that's all that counts at the moment."

Harvey said it was crucial that the Blues not take a backward step against the AFL's powerhouse team of the last four years.

"We're excited, we realise the challenge we're under ... obviously they're back to their best," he said.

"We've started to get some form together so we can certainly put our best foot forward with a degree of confidence to know were playing pretty well."

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