Essendon coach Mark Thompson is backing his depleted side to match it with Collingwood's star-studded midfield in Sunday's crucial AFL clash at the MCG.
Thompson's Bombers sit one game outside the top eight going into this weekend's round 17 and a loss would be a heavy blow to his side's finals hopes.
Essendon (8-7 win-loss) will be without injured skipper and 2012 Brownlow Medallist Jobe Watson and suspended acting captain Brendon Goddard, last year's club champion.
Dyson Heppell, at 22, is likely to share the twin responsibilities of being a key midfielder and also leading the team on Sunday.
"For one week he may be (captain), yeah," Thompson told reporters on Friday.
"He's not far away. He's certainly going to be a captain.
"He's a really classy young man."
Thompson will look to the likes of Heppell, David Myers and Brent Stanton to match it with Collingwood's Brownlow Medal favourite Scott Pendlebury and former club champions Dayne Beams and Dane Swan.
"We've got enough players," Thompson said.
Collingwood are locked on nine wins with North Melbourne and Gold Coast after 16 rounds.
"It's one of the teams we're competing against so it does make it very important, but it's just as important for them as well," Thompson said.
"So it's a pretty crucial game."
Essendon have recalled 39-year-old defender Dustin Fletcher, who has played 12 games in 2014 for a career total of 390.
Thompson says Fletcher will be left to make up his own mind about next season.
"Some people aren't ready to give up and they want to play every game they can," Thompson said.
"Players deserve if you've had a long career to decide that themselves.
"I think he's going to try. He's pretty realistic.
"If (during) the next seven weeks, he doesn't play and he feels like he can't deserve a game and contribute to the success of the team then he'll make the right decision.
"And I totally trust Dustin.
"People get tired or maybe have niggling injuries. Dustin didn't have his best game two weeks before, but it wasn't the sole reason why he didn't play last week."
Thompson said Goddard was "stiff" to be suspended for his clash with Port Adelaide's Kane Cornes and called for the rules to be "fixed up".
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