Key defender Harris Andrews will return from a hamstring injury in Brisbane's AFL clash with the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat.
Andrews has come through training unscathed this week and will be slotted straight into the team despite the Lions defeating Gold Coast and Sydney in his absence.
"He's our vice-captain. He's a very, very good player. He's amongst the best three or four tall defenders in the competition," Lions coach Chris Fagan said.
"If he's fit and ready to go and all the medical guys tick him off which I think they will, then we'll select him."
Andrews' return is timely as the Lions prepare to face Bulldogs teen sensation Aaron Naughton.
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The 19-year-old kicked five goals in last weekend's 47-point win over Richmond, a performance which caught Fagan's eye.
"Any key forward that takes that many contested marks and kicks that many goals at a young age, that's a pretty special performance," Fagan said.
"We just need to make sure that he doesn't get an easy run at the footy and use his athleticism like he was able to last week.
"Huge respect for the way he's developing."
The Lions have climbed to fourth on the ladder after their win over the Swans, with their five wins already matching their win tally in each of the past two seasons.
Fagan is keeping a lid on his team's fortunes however, saying talk of a first finals appearance since 2009 is still premature.
"From where we've been historically, we can't sit back and go 'we're 5-2 and so let's plan to make finals'," Fagan said.
"We're just a young, developing team and the minute we start thinking about things that take your mind off what you need to do on any given weekend, we could find ourselves in trouble."
