COACH Paul Roos says he’s not taking Collingwood lightly at all, despite the fact the Magpies have lost their past five matches.

Roos said it would be folly to suggest the Pies will be an easier match this round, when the two sides meet on Saturday afternoon at the MCG.

“You never know if it’s a good or bad time [to play any team],” he said from AAMI Park on Thursday.

“We got Hawthorn when they were struggling and one of our players said ‘it was a good time to get them’ and they beat us by 105 points, so I’m always reluctant [to say whether it’s an easy game or not].

“[Collingwood coach] Bucks (Nathan Buckley) and I speak a lot on Monday night [on AFL 360] and you would’ve heard us talk about regardless of who you prepare [against], you’re always preparing for their best.”

Collingwood won eight of its opening 11 matches of the season, but has lost to Fremantle, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide, West Coast Eagles and Western Bulldogs since round 13. However, Roos said it was a difficult block for the Pies.

“Even within that period, they’ve played some really good teams and some really good football and last weekend they played some good football,” he said.

“It’s not hard to find some good Collingwood football, so we’ll look at that and prepare for that and hopefully we’ll prepare better than we did last week.”