Geelong set to regain key trio Jimmy Bartel, James Podsiadly and Allen Christensen

GEELONG coach Chris Scott is confident James Podsiadly and Allen Christensen will join Jimmy Bartel in the team to play Adelaide.

Matthew Scarlett

GEELONG coach Chris Scott is confident forwards James Podsiadly and Allen Christensen should be ready to come back from injury for the Cats' cricial clash with Adelaide on Saturday.

But the Cats will be without full-back Matthew Scarlett after accepting a one-match suspension for striking Essendon's Cory Dell'Olio last Friday night.

Scarlett, who missed three games earlier in the year for striking Fremantle's Hayden Ballantyne, will be unavailable for Geelong's crucial clash with Adelaide at Simonds Stadium on Saturday.

"The fact of the matter is it was a very minor incident that was magnified because of his poor record and the loading,'' Scott said today.

"It's extremely disappointing, he's disappointed in it, but we're going to accept it and we'll move on really quickly.''

In addition to Podsiadly and Christensen, Jimmy Bartel will return from suspension and Geelong is also optimistic Steve Johnson will overcome groin soreness to keep his spot.

"Our medical staff made a terrific decision to sub him last week and we're hopeful that decision will mean he'll be available this week,'' Scott said.

He said the likely absence of Adelaide key forward Kurt Tippett for Saturday's match at Simonds Stadium will not change the Cats' thinking on how best to replace Scarlett.

"While we pay a lot of attention to the opposition, the overriding factor for us is what helps us play the way we want to play,'' Scott said.

"Obviously, part of that is negating the opposition but, most of the time, we play three tall defenders irrespective of the opposition.''

Tippett was to consult a neurosurgeon in Melbourne this week, with Crows coach Brenton Sanderson saying he was unlikely to face the Cats at Skilled Stadium.

"My gut feeling is that he wouldn't play this week, but he'd certainly play the week after,'' Sanderson said.

Scott said Geelong's 50-point loss to Adelaide in Round 7, when the Cats were 10 goals down by halftime, was their worst performance of the year.

But he said that encounter would have little bearing on Saturday's rematch, given the way both sides had developed since.

Similarly, Scott said the form his side showed in last Friday night's big win over Essendon, their best performance of the season, would not automatically flow into the Crows clash.

"The fact that we played well last week doesn't help us play better on the weekend,'' he said.