Carlton coach Mick Malthouse says his men will come up against a team "in very, very good form," when the Blues take on the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
"They've played some top sides and acquitted themselves very well. They're also youthful and the number one ball-getting side."
The two sides last met in Round 17 last season, and on that occasion the Blues won by 18-points.
Andrew Carrazzo and Matthew Kreuzer will both miss the match through injury.
Malthouse expects Kreuzer will miss just the one week, and he's confident Warnock is more than capable of filling the void.
"Robert Warnock has been a very, very good ruckman for us. In fact, he's number one at our club in terms of percentage times played, scoring from. So he's a ready-made replacement."
Meanwhile, Malthouse has dismissed recent trade talk, saying no decisions have been made and his sole focus is on the remaining rounds this season.
"The reality is that I haven't sat down with the recruiting staff, nor our Football Operations Manager and said these are the players that will go out of the side.
"We've got this season to complete, and we want to go as long and as hard as we can."