Adelaide Captain Jordan Dawson is expecting crosstown rival Port Adelaide to put up a strong challenge when the sides face off in Showdown 57 on Saturday.

The Crows are set to enter the clash with confidence after a 60-point win against Carlton, while Port Adelaide went down to the Western Bulldogs by 90 points in Round Eight.

Speaking at a joint captain’s press conference on Monday, Dawson said the sides’ form heading into the game wouldn’t count for much, with the game to be hard-fought.

“It’s going to be a great game, we respect them highly and look forward to the battle," Dawson said.

“We obviously were in a similar position this time last week after the Freo game, so we’ll be very wary of Port responding and they always respond well.

“Especially in weeks like this you don’t buy into that form stuff because on their day they can come out and beat anyone and so can we, so we expect them at their best.

“No matter where the team is on the ladder, we know it’s going to be a good contest and we are expecting that and we’ll bring it as well.”

Adelaide made four changes to the team ahead of its eventual win against the Blues.

Mitch Hinge (suspension), Nick Murray (knee), Matt Crouch (hip), and Sid Draper (omitted) were out of the line-up.

Veteran defender Brodie Smith was called upon, as was Jordon Butts and Sam Berry, while Darcy Fogarty returned from injury.

Dawson said the changes highlighted the squad’s strong depth, an area the Club had prided itself on this year.

“We are a completely different team this year, we’ve got some new guys who have come in and some guys who have stepped up as well,” Dawson said.

“I’m really proud of Smithy for the way he’s gone about it this year and I’m not surprised he was able to come in and play his role the way he did.

“Sam Berry is probably playing the best footy of his career and he came in as sub and impacted for us. Buttsy was once our number one key defender and he’s had to fight for his spot. 

“We've definitely got depth, so when we have injuries, and every club does, we are able to bring guys in who can perform at a really high level.”

Adelaide faces Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday, at 7.40pm.