Josh Fraser's men will take on the Demons on Saturday night at the MCG in the second of two knockout wildcard clashes next weekend under the new format.
The Western Bulldogs will meet Collingwood in the first wildcard match on Friday night, also at the MCG.
If Melbourne win, they will travel to Adelaide while the winner out of Western Bulldogs and Collingwood will visit Geelong.
If Carlton win, they will travel to Geelong while the winner of the other wildcard match will play away to Adelaide.
Carlton are the hottest team in the lower finals bracket, having franked their form with a comprehensive win over ladder leaders Fremantle in round 24 on Saturday.
It extended their unbeaten streak to five matches, with 11 wins and a draw in 14 outings since Fraser took the coaching reins in May.
Carlton previously sneaked into the finals from ninth when arch-rivals Essendon were banished from the 2013 campaign as punishment over the supplements scandal.
The Blues were knocked out in week two that year but appear capable of making a deep finals run this time from the platform of the league's first wildcard round.
"You need to show up and if you play the right way then I feel like you can do some damage," Blues forward Brodie Kemp told AAP.
"We've got some momentum going into wildcard and (beating Fremantle) was a great way to do it.
"Wins on the board means that you've got evidence that you can play a good brand and it stacks up against good sides."
Initially appointed on an interim basis after Michael Voss was sacked, Fraser secured the job as full-time coach when he engineered one of the great in-season turnarounds to steer Carlton to a wildcard spot.
Kemp said the 44-year-old had put a greater emphasis on skills during the week to add another dimension to the Blues' game style, which is reaping rewards.
"We always had that contest and stoppage game with Vossy, and he did a lot of work on the foundations of our game," Kemp said.
"(Now we have) the ability to possess the ball a bit more while nailing the fundamentals, and that's probably the biggest shift for us.
"We're playing for each other and it's really fun to be a part of ... but finals-type heat adds a different layer.
"It's not going to go all our way the whole time, so we need to adapt and stay connected and we're in a really good position to be able to do that."
Carlton expect to welcome back Will Hayward and Nick Haynes from ankle injuries against Melbourne, who are monitoring fresh knee problems for Matt Jefferson and Dan Turner.
The Bulldogs could be without spearhead Aaron Naughton (ankle) for their meeting with Collingwood, who have lost veteran Scott Pendlebury and Brayden Maynard to knee issues.
Dogs ruckman Tim English (knee) is an outside chance to return.
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