The Crows have made a decision on Josh Rachele’s availability for their meeting with the Magpies

Adelaide forward Josh Rachele has been ruled out of a comeback in the qualifying final against Collingwood.

The dynamic attacker had hoped to play on Thursday night for the first time since suffering a knee injury on July 6.

But Rachele, while close to returning, has been scratched from selection for the Adelaide Oval final.

“He won’t be available for Thursday night’s game, but tracking really well, training really well,” Adelaide’s coaching director Murray Davis told reporters on Monday.

“And (he) continues to knock on the coach’s door and remind him of how well he’s going.

“He’s pretty close … but just at this stage, won’t be available.”

Rachele tore the posterior capsular in his left knee along with sustaining a bone compression injury in a round 17 clash against Melbourne.

He has re-joined full training and would be “in the mix” for the Crows’ following final, Davis said.

The winner of Thursday night’s fixture advance to a home preliminary final after a week off. The loser is pitched into a sudden-death semi-final the next week.

The Crows have cleared Max Michalanney to return on Thursday night after he missed the past four games with a hamstring strain.

Luke Pedlar is also in the selection frame after recovering from a hamstring injury which sidelined him for the past two matches.

The Crows pipped Collingwood by three points at Adelaide Oval in round 23, ending an 11-game winless streak against the Pies dating back to 2016.

But Davis forecast a different style of game than the recent encounter, which became a rain-affected tactical slog when both clubs deployed a loose man in defence.

“It was a real battle of who would hold their nerve for the longest,” Davis said.

“Both teams probably look at that game and think there were things that we could do differently.

“A little bit of it may be condition-based. In regards to that night, it was fairly slippery and pretty wet at different stages so that did contribute to it.

“I’m sure both teams will have different levers that they can pull (on Thursday night) if they need to.”

The Crows face the Magpies at Adelaide Oval on Thursday at 7.10pm.

For up-to-date details on the Crows 2025 Toyota Finals Series, head to the Club’s finals hub here.