IT’S payback time for Collingwood tagger Brent Macaffer on Sunday against Adelaide's ball magnet Patrick Dangerfield.

Dangerfield had 32 disposals in a rare personal defeat for Macaffer during Adelaide's 21-point win in their round nine clash.

Sunday's re-match at the MCG carries plenty of weight for the finals aspirations of both sides.

Collingwood sit on a 9-7 win-loss record, one game ahead of Adelaide (8-8).

Dangerfield is in Collingwood's sights, especially after gathering 41 touches in Adelaide's last-start loss to Hawthorn.

"It's hard to stop Dangerfield. He is a star," Collingwood assistant coach Matthew Lappin told AAP this week.

"Brent Macaffer is our number one tagger.

"He'll be assigned a role every week and 90 per cent of the time he's able to get the job done.

"Western Bulldogs' Ryan Griffen has got him a couple of times and Dangerfield is the only other one I can remember really getting a hold of him in the year-and-a-half that he's been doing the job.

"He's a determined player so I expect he'll try to get some payback if he gets the role."

Collingwood have regained swingman Ben Reid and small forward Jamie Elliott from injury and promoted Lachie Keeffe, Tim Broomhead and Kyle Martin.

Martin and Broomhead have played only six games between them.

The Magpies have made four forced changes for Luke Ball (back), Dane Swan (foot), Alan Toovey (back) and Nick Maxwell (retired). Josh Thomas has been dropped.

Adelaide have dropped Ben Rutten and Jason Porplyzia while David Mackay and back pocket Luke Thompson return to the side.

Forward coach Lappin says the return of 2010 premiership defender Reid for his first senior game of 2014 is a key breakthrough for the Magpies.

"Having trained all pre-season with Ben Reid, Jesse White and Travis Cloke as the three key forwards, it has taken until round 18 to get our first look at it," Lappin said.

"So it has been frustrating, but it's really exciting that they have enough time left to get it right."

Reid is a former All-Australian defender but can do damage at both ends.

"We're really keen to have a look at it this week and see if we can stretch the Adelaide defenders," Lappin said.

Adelaide have their own three-talls policy up forward comprising James Podsiadly, Taylor Walker and Josh Jenkins.

"Ben Reid might stand a quarter at one end and then be swung to the end," Lappin said.

"I cross my fingers that he gets forward and helps the other big boys out."

Lappin says the Magpies are rapt to regain the pace of Elliott, who boasts 30 goals in 14 games this year.