The Western Bulldogs will be boosted by the return of skipper Bob Murphy when they attempt to break back into the AFL top eight with a win against West Coast.
Murphy has been sidelined since round 10 when he suffered a hamstring injury in the Dogs' win over St Kilda.
In his absence, the reigning premiers suffered heavy defeats to Sydney and Melbourne then scraped home by one point against North Melbourne to sit in ninth spot after 14 rounds.
"On the weekend Bob Murphy completed the final stages of his rehab for his hamstring injury," club physiotherapist Chris Bell said.
"He's due to return to full training this week with the squad and is line for selection this weekend."
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Murphy turned 35 during his injury layoff but the veteran defender remains a key player in coach Luke Beveridge's lineup.
Saturday's clash with the seventh-placed Eagles is a pivotal one for both teams, who have 7-6 records.
Courageous forward Liam Picken is in doubt for the Etihad Stadium encounter with a medial ligament injury suffered against North, while Tom Boyd will resume from a calf injury via the VFL.
"The ligament has pulled up really well today but we'll go through our processes with Liam this week to dictate his availability," Bell said.
"Tom Boyd had some persistent calf tightness in the days following the Melbourne game.
"He completed a rehab football session on the weekend and at this stage we are aiming that he returns to some restrictive minutes in the VFL over the next one to two weeks."
Lin Jong has undergone a successful traditional knee reconstruction after rupturing an anterior cruciate ligament in round 13.
