ESSENDON'S chances of beating Collingwood on Friday night could be boosted considerably, with the news that star midfielder Jobe Watson and key-position player Adam McPhee could both play.

Both have leg injuries – Watson came off in the second term against Carlton last week and McPhee was injured against Melbourne the round before.

But assistant coach Scott Camporeale said on Thursday morning that both were still in the mix.

The 24-year-old Watson's spot in the side is set to be determined at a fitness session during training after the media conference, with no decision made until the medical staff see how he pulls up.

"He's recovered pretty well, pretty quickly, so we'll give him a test this morning and we'll weigh it up after that,” Camporeale said.

McPhee seems more likely to return, despite coach Matthew Knights not sounding too confident about the prospect earlier in the week.

"He's got a pretty good record against (Travis) Cloke when we've played previously - he trained fully on Tuesday and he'll have another fitness test today as well, just to make sure he's cherry ripe, ready to go," Camporeale said.

The Anzac Day clash between these two sides attracted 84,829 people, and with a possible top-four spot for September on the line, midfielder Jason Winderlich said the side was looking forward to it.

“Winderlich said it was an opportunity for the Bombers to cement a spot inside the top eight.

"The last few weeks we've been in and out and in and out (of the top eight), so it'll be good to challenge a top-four side like Collingwood,” Winderlich said.

“[Collingwood] has been terrific the last five weeks with five wins in a row – not many teams have done that except for Geelong and St Kilda this year – so it's a great challenge for us."