INS: Petty, McDonald, Laurie, Cross, Cooke
OUTS: Turner (inj.), Jiath (inj.), Windsor (inj.), Melksham (omitted), Heath (omitted)

MELBOURNE will make its return to Friday night footy with five changes to its starting side.

The Dees will host the Cats under lights at the MCG, adding another chapter to their storied history.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS >>> Grab your tickets for Round 20

Harrison Petty (hamstring) and Lukas Cooke (face) both return to the side after overcoming injury, while Tom McDonald, Bailey Laurie and Paddy Cross have earned the call up after strong displays in the VFL.

Daniel Turner (rib) and Changkuoth Jiath (leg) have both been sidelined with injury while Caleb Windsor will be managed due to groin soreness.

"Caleb was experiencing some groin pain following training this week,” said Alan Richardson, the club’s GM of AFL Football Performance.

“Our medical staff have been proactive with his management, and with two six-day breaks, we want to prepare him for the remainder of the season.

“We plan to integrate Caleb back into training next week.”

Jake Melksham and Max Heath have both been omitted with Heath joining Christian Salem and Xavier Taylor on the emergency list. 

Melbourne coach Steven King, who both played and coached at Geelong, said he was eager to embrace the Friday night stage against his former club.

“It’s certainly a privilege to play in a game that’s shaping finals and to do it on the big stage,” King said.

“We’ve been craving this for a while. I think we’ve been playing a brand of footy that stands out and that people want to watch.

“[Geelong] play a brand of football that challenges you, and that’s what we’re trying to do as well. We’re evolving into something that can hopefully take our best game to Geelong this week and really set our year up.”

Fans attending the match will be treated to a neon light zone in Yarra Park, followed by a pre-game light show from 7:20pm. Find more game day details here. 

Check out the full team below.