The former Dortmund star has signed for the German Cup holders from Ligue 1 side Monaco, hoping his much-needed scoring prowess will fire the 16th-placed outfit out of the drop zone.

The 6ft 7in attacker said: "I am confident we will at least win one point in Karlsruhe. It is great to be back in the Bundesliga."

Coach Hans Meyer has been full of praise for his new signing and thinks he will be a big hit.

He said: "No matter where he has played, he has always been very popular. He has settled in very well with us."

New boys Karlsruhe announced their arrival in the top flight with a smashing 2-0 victory over Nurnberg on the first day of the season.

Edmund Becker´s troops have managed to stay competitive and are currently sixth in the Bundesliga, just one point shy of a UEFA Cup qualification spot.

However, some internal battles over contract extensions and reported transfer interest are said to have hurt team chemistry during the winter break.

Skipper Mario Eggimann knows that the team need to pull together, or their good form in the first half of the season could count for nothing.

He said: "Nobody is interested in the success of the past. We can only be successful as a team and not as individuals."

Massimiliano Porcello (calf), Christopher Reinhard (ankle) and Bradley Carnell (Achilles) will be missing for the hosts, but newly-acquired Kennedy could feature against his former team.

But he won't come up against his former Aussie team-mate Matthew Spiranovic who is still sidelined with his long-term ankle injury.

Lars Jacobsen (knee), Zvejzdan Misimovic, Robert Vittek (both back) and Jaouhar Mnari (African Nations Cup) are also out for Nurnberg.