Manchester United and Manchester City are both dealing with injury concerns ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford, with up to seven players potentially missing the game.
The 4:30pm BST kick-off marks the first meeting between the sides this season, with City arriving unbeaten. For United head coach Michael Carrick, the occasion is notable as he reaches eight months in charge and revisits the fixture that effectively set him on the path to becoming the club's permanent boss.
Team form and fitness updates
United approach the derby after a 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah and a 2-2 Premier League draw at Everton. City come into the game off a 2-0 victory against FC Porto in Europe and a narrow 1-0 win over Coventry City at the Etihad.
Both clubs have fitness issues to contend with, though City expect Nico O'Reilly to return, leaving Jeremy Doku as their only absentee.
United's injury list
For the home side, Luke Shaw remains uncertain for the fixture, with Carrick confirming he was afforded an additional rest day on Thursday. United have relied extensively on the 31-year-old despite his historically troublesome injury history.
"We just gave him an extra recovery day today," Carrick said in his press conference. "We'll see by tomorrow [Friday] how he is, but it's not an ongoing thing or part of a plan. It was simply off the back of the game the other day. Each individual has different little things we manage, and Luke was one of them today."
Marcus Rashford was back in training on Wednesday following his early withdrawal against Everton and was named as an unused substitute against Sabah. However, Matthijs de Ligt was nowhere to be seen, joining the likes of Amad, Manuel Ugarte, Tom Heaton and Carlos Baleba on the sidelines.
De Ligt has been absent since late November and, having gone under the knife for back surgery in May, United are taking a cautious approach to his comeback.
City's absentee and return
"It's positive. Matta has trained really well," Carrick added. "When you're out for such a long period and you get to the final stages, you push and push, and you've got to manage that last step. It's important. We've got to get that balance right. He's on a good track, in a good place, and it's great to have him back around us - hopefully it'll be sometime soon."
Elsewhere, City boss Enzo Maresca will once again be deprived of Doku's services, while Nico O'Reilly, who withdrew from the Coventry warm-up last week, has been declared "100% available."
Doku has been sidelined since the Community Shield after experiencing calf tightness during the first half against Arsenal. While the problem was not considered serious, it has nonetheless ruled him out of the first four fixtures of the campaign, with Maresca confirming he 'needs more days.'
