Zac Williams during Carlton training on July 22, 2022. Picture: Getty Images

CARLTON will consider rolling the dice on Zac Williams ahead of its must-win clash against Collingwood on Sunday, despite the defender having not played in more than three months due to a calf injury.

Williams suffered the long-term calf setback in the early stages of a May 15 victory over the Giants and hasn't played football at any level since, though the Blues will contemplate an immediate AFL return given the high-stakes nature of this weekend's clash.

Carlton is confident that midfielder Adam Cerra will also return from a minor adductor strain that kept him from last Saturday night's narrow defeat to Melbourne, where the club was unable to secure its finals spot following Kysaiah Pickett's late goal.

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Cerra arrived at the MCG hoping to play, but was ruled out having completed a fitness test on the ground before the game. Club officials remain hopeful the injury will improve with the additional rest, enabling him to feature on Sunday.

Adam Cerra in action during a Carlton training session on June 9, 2022. Picture: AFL Photos

The Blues will complete their main training session on Wednesday this week, where both Williams and Cerra are likely to be put through their paces in a defining hitout for both of their chances of playing in this weekend's clash.

Carlton must beat Collingwood to secure its first top-eight berth in nearly a decade, or else it will be forced to rely on the Western Bulldogs losing to Hawthorn and St Kilda losing to Sydney elsewhere on Sunday.

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The Blues have one of the longest injury lists in the competition and were already without George Hewett (back), Matt Kennedy (foot), Nic Newman (knee), Jordan Boyd (foot), Ed Curnow (hamstring) and Josh Honey (calf), as well as Williams and Cerra, last week.

It forced Michael Voss to shift the magnets during their loss to the Demons, with both Sam Docherty (28 disposals, six clearances) and Will Setterfield (26 disposals, five clearances) moving into the midfield for the first time this year.

Hewett, Newman and Boyd remain a chance to return for an elimination final, should the Blues qualify this weekend, though Kennedy has been ruled out for the remainder of the season.