Collingwood coach Mick Malthouse has affirmed his faith in the 22 to tackle Adelaide in Saturday night's knockout semi-final and believes they'll take the field perfectly prepared for the task at hand.

Coming off last week's 28-point loss to St Kilda, the Magpies will go in as massive underdogs against a rampant Adelaide line-up that's won its past three matches against West Coast, Carlton and Essendon by an average of 81 points.

Speaking after training at Gosch's Paddock on Friday, Malthouse dismissed injuries to key players including Josh Fraser and Scott Pendlebury which prompted five changes this week as 'the hand you're dealt'.

"We'll miss the players, but one of our assets this year has been the evenness of the side and the ability of our VFL side to keep producing players with confidence and the ability to win the footy, so that's what we've gone to," said Malthouse.

"The group that go down the race will be extremely fit."

"The changes that we've made are players that have got an enormous amount of confidence out of their playing over the last few weeks, whether they've been in the seniors or the VFL."

"And we have a thorough knowledge of how good Adelaide are and what needs to be done."

Malthouse said Brent Macaffer, the major 'smoky' among the Magpies' five inclusions, had been on the cusp of selection for several weeks.

The 21-year-old can play at either end and had worked hard to get back in the frame, Malthouse said, after sustaining a mid-season knee injury in the VFL following his three senior appearances earlier in 2009.

"In many respects we've been sweating on him just to keep his form going and at the right time, play him," Malthouse said.

"I don't think the occasion will worry him, certainly the positions that we play him in won't worry him - the opponents will because they're quality opponents - but he won't be foreign to any position we play him in."

Malthouse said a huge factor in Macaffer's favour was his fitness which the club's match committee elevated to the top of its list of non-negotiables at the selection table this week.

"There'll be no 50-50 players going out there tomorrow, I'll give you the tip," he said.

"In finals football the biggest mistake you'll make is to think the name player is going to be able to overcome an injury on the field in a final."

"History is littered with those sides rueing and ... saying 'I wish we had've not played him' - that won't be the case."

"No player will go out there unless he can play out the game and that's why we're comfortable with the group we've picked - they're fit and ready to go."

"They have to be."