United States international Timothy Chandler is set to return to action for Eintracht Frankfurt against Hamburg on Tuesday after recovering from a knee injury.
Chandler, 27, needed surgery after suffering a lateral meniscus tear against Borussia Dortmund in late October.
The defender resumed team training last week and although he did not feature against Bayern Munich on Saturday, head coach Niko Kovac told reporters: "Timmy will be able to play before the winter [break]. I am happy. He played well up until his injury."
Chandler will not be able to face off against his U.S. teammate Bobby Wood on Tuesday, as the Hamburg forward has been ruled out for a second straight game with a knee complaint of his own.
In Chandler's absence, Kovac played 22-year-old Marius Wolf at right wing-back, and he could move into a more attacking role when Chandler returns.
"Marius Wolf did a really good job in that position, but with two such players on the field it might look even better," Kovac said.
Frankfurt, ninth in Bundesliga, are one of a group of nine teams from second to 10th who are divided by only five points.
Following their trip to Hamburg, they host Schalke on the last day of the first half of the Bundesliga season on Saturday.