Collingwood faces a major dilemma this week as it prepares for a trip to Sydney and a match which could well end its chances of a top four finish if it fails to maintain its recent dominance over the Swans.

The Pies, who would fall a massive 14 points adrift of the fourth-placed Swans if they lose on Saturday night, have won their past four matches against Paul Roos' team including their past two encounters at Sydney's Olympic Stadium as well as last year's elimination final at the MCG.

But the Pies' 38-point win that night - their most recent clash against the Swans - was also notable for the nine goals that key forwards Anthony Rocca and Sean Rusling booted between them.

However with Rocca joining Rusling (shoulder) as a long-term injury casualty after he seriously injured his ankle during the Pies' Round 13 loss to the Bulldogs, it means the Pies are short of key forwards particularly with promising youngster Ben Reid also going down against the Bulldogs with a serious foot injury.

That leaves the Pies with only Travis Cloke as their only recognised key forward.

So the question is how do the Pies' conjure a winning score with a weakened attack against the AFL's number one defensive team on Saturday night with the Swans the only team that has conceded less than 1000 points so far this season.

Well according to assistant coach Brad Scott it is a choice between going 'tall or small'.

With number one ruckman Josh Fraser poised to return from the knee injury that has sidelined him since Round 12 and troubled him since the AFL Hall of Fame game in May - it opens the way for the Pies to play all three of their ruckmen in Fraser, Chris Bryan and Cameron Wood with one of them to play as a key forward in support of Cloke.

Or they can take the complete opposite tack and rely on their bevy of small forwards Alan Didak, Dale Thomas, Paul Medhurst and Leon Davis - who also looks set to return from injury - to kick a winning score given these four have already kicked 91 goals between them this season.

"We will definitely consider that this week (playing all three ruckmen)," Scott said on Wednesday.

"The last time we played Sydney those two big forwards (Rocca and Rusling) kicked nine goals between them so we are going to have to look at the different structure this time and playing all three ruckmen is a definite possibility."

"But fortunately we have got a lot of options open to us as there is also the option of going really small (in attack) because we have got that flexibility with guys like Medhurst, Didak and Leon Davis who can play as genuine forwards or we can go very tall and play the three ruckmen."

But Scott said whatever path the Pies decide to go down they have to get it right considering the importance of the game.

Scott said with the top three sides in the Western Bulldogs, Geelong and Hawthorn having lost just four games between them this season - the Swans' place in the top four was the only spot realistically available to the seventh-placed Magpies as they chase the double chance come finals time.

"The top three are, barring some sort of real form slump, pretty much locked in (the top four) so we have got a pretty important couple of games coming up against sides that we are competing with for that (last) spot in the top four," he said, with the Pies to face fifth-placed Adelaide at the MCG immediately following their trip to Sydney.