Melbourne Victory striker and A-League Men joint golden boot leader Bruno Fornaroli is in doubt to feature against Melbourne City after undergoing hand surgery.
City's Tolgay Arslan will definitely miss Saturday's match after he received a three-match ban on Friday from Football Australia's disciplinary and ethics committee for his outburst towards a referee.
Fornaroli had a plate inserted in his hand to repair a hairline fracture during the week, days out from the clash with his former club.
Coach Tony Popovic said there was no concern over a potential re-fracture of Fornaroli's hand, but the medical team was more concerned about the wound healing to guard against infection.
"He did hurt his hand, so he's had a procedure on his hand in terms of a hairline fracture. So we're just waiting for that wound to heal," Popovic said.
"But we think he's a chance (to play). He's working, been avoiding contact and if he can handle contact, then there's no reason why he can't play.
"We've just got to make sure the wound's healed, that there's no threat of infection.
"We've got to do the right thing by him and if that's okay, then he'll be ready."
Adama Traore (thigh) is pushing to prove his fitness but recruit Roly Bonevacia won't play yet.
The German-born midfielder was cited by the FA match review panel for the "use of offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures against a match official".
He received a straight red card from referee Shane Skinner after the final whistle of City's loss to Perth earlier this month.
Arslan has already served one game of his suspension so will miss the Victory game and the subsequent meeting with Sydney FC.
Victory are attempting to rebound from their first loss of the season, against Macarthur, while City were left reeling from a 5-1 thumping from Brisbane.
Both sets of players are expected to head to AAMI Park early amid the traffic chaos of Taylor Swift's concert at the MCG, which clashes with the derby.
The mega-concerts have overshadowed Saturday night's ALM blockbuster and is likely to draw away some fans.
Popovic hoped Victory's supporters could drown out the show across the road, while City winger Marco Tilio was optimistic there would still be plenty at the game.
"I've heard traffic's gonna be carnage coming in," Tilio said.
"It's gonna be hectic around the city this weekend.
"But it's a massive game. If you're not going to Taylor Swift, I'm sure you want to be coming to the derby."
