MITCH McGovern is likely to miss Adelaide's preliminary final clash against Geelong with a sore hamstring. 

Scans revealed no significant injury and McGovern completed a short running session on Monday morning, but the club is likely to err on the side of caution and leave him out of the side to face the Cats at Adelaide Oval on Friday night. 

"He's probably unlikely this week, but we haven't ruled him out," Crows assistant coach David Teague said.

"The (scan) results are more favourable than we probably thought.

"It's not a lot, it's something minor, it just depends on how he goes this week."

McGovern missed just shy of three months earlier this season after suffering a torn right hamstring tendon.

The Crows went 6-4 in that patch without McGovern and are 10-2 with him, plus a draw against Collingwood in round 19 when he took a brilliant pack mark and coolly slotted the tying goal after the final siren.

McGovern's left hamstring pulled up sore during the club's match simulation at training last Saturday.

"He felt a little bit of tightness in training," Teague said.

The Crows are unsure if McGovern would return for the Grand Final if they beat the Cats on Friday night.

"We'd like to think that if we can get through this week that he will be available, but these sort of injuries, you're just not sure, it depends on how he recovers from it," Teague said.

"We're very, very hopeful that if it's not this week, then it will be next week that he can get up."

Teague said McGovern was remaining positive despite being set to miss the preliminary final.

"He's definitely doing everything he can," Teague said.

"From as soon as it happened, you watch him ice (his hamstring) and go about (his rehab), he's very team-first person.

"His energy has been really good, it's been really positive, so I've got no doubt he will give himself every chance to get up if he can."

Forward/midfielder Wayne Milera is the front-runner to take McGovern's spot in the forward line, while utility Andy Otten and Jono Beech are other options if the Crows want to go with a third tall.

"Whoever that player is, at certain times they've got to compete in the air and they've got to compete on the ground," Teague said.

"One of the things Mitch does well is he does both.

"His pressure on ground level is very good, as his ability to compete in the air."