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Radamel Falcao has been ruled out of Sunday's Manchester derby because of injury, Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has confirmed.
Falcao has not played since 20 October, after picking up a knock in training.
The United captain Wayne Rooney, however, will be fit for the clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Rooney has missed United's last three matches because of suspension, and Van Gaal rejected claims that the striker was also struggling with injury.
"He was never injured," Van Gaal said about Rooney. "He shall play, he is my captain."
City go into Sunday's game on a bad run of form, having failed to win in their last three matches in all competitions.
Manuel Pellegrini's team were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Newcastle.
"It is not the greatest moment of Manchester City," Van Gaal added. "What we have seen of Manchester City in the last matches was not so good.
"We have a good feeling about this match."
It will be the first time Van Gaal has been in the dugout for a Manchester derby and the Dutchman could field up to five derby debutants for the hotly-contested clash.
Show all 11 1 /11Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Goalkeeper - David De Gea Manchester United might have conceded more goals than City (13 to 10) but De Gea hasn't been to blame. The Spaniard has been making crucial saves this season, such as when Eden Hazard got in one-on-one last weekend and his superhero-esque save late on against Everton. It's led to talk of a move to Real Madrid for the former Atletico stopper and sees him get in ahead of Joe Hart.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Left-back - Gael Clichy Luke Shaw is starting to show glimpses of why United paid so much money for a 19-year-old, but not enough to be selected ahead of the much more experienced Clichy. The Frenchman is doing enough to keep out Aleksandar Kolarov more often than not and looks assured at the back and is always a threat going forward.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Centre-back - Vincent Kompany Whilst Louis van Gaal struggles to work out what his best options at centre-back are, Kompany has been looking his usual assured self. The captain has been gobbling up strikers and continues to put in exquisitely timed tackles with incredible regularity.
Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Centre-back - Martin Demichelis The Argentinian was something of a laughing stock last season but has now settled and continues to look like Kompany's best partner at the back despite the big-money arrival of Eliaquim Mangala. Demichelis has made nine appearances to the summer signing's six so far this season. Marcos Rojo would be the stand-out challenger from United for the position, but he doesn't look comfortable at centre-back and recent performances suggest he's at risk of ending up a bigger laughing stock than Demichelis was.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Right-back - Pablo Zabaleta Rafael has been the regular starter at United when fit but the Brazilian continues to ask more questions than he answers with sporadic performances that at moments make him look like the next Gary Neville, but in others more like Phil at Euro 2000. That's why Zabaleta has little trouble being selected as our right-back.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Holding midfielder - Daley Blind Manchester City provided three options for this position but none of them warrant a place ahead of Blind. Yaya Toure has looked nowhere near his best whilst Pellegrini can't seem to work out if Fernando or Fernandinho is a better option alongside him. Meanwhile Blind has made a great start since joining from Ajax. Sitting deep, the Dutchman's sharp passing provides the base for attacks whilst his even sharper tackling stops opponents in their tracks. His late equaliser in the 2-2 draw with West Brom proved he can operate further forward as well if required.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Midfielder - David Silva The little Spaniard is a class act that would probably get in any side. An eye for a pass and ability to deliver it ensure he is always among City's chief threats from the centre of the park. His goal in the recent defeat to West Ham was pure class. Silva manages to keep his fellow Spaniard Juan Mata out of the side. The former Chelsea player has been decent this season but not done enough to ensure he should be a regular in the United side when everyone is fit.
Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Midfielder - James Milner He's not the most fashionable player, but as The Independent's Paul Scholes wrote earlier this season, every team should have a Milner. Scholes said: 'I would say he is an excellent attacking player in his own right. Milner’s team-mates will be very glad to have him around, even if he does not always get the acclaim elsewhere.' The England international keeps Ander Herrera out, but only just because the Spaniard has impressed since arriving at Old Trafford.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Forward - Angel Di Maria Manchester United paid a British record transfer fee to bring Di Maria in from Real Madrid and thus far he's looked worth every penny. The Argentina international has brought back that width and pace so much associated with United and despite concerns over his goalscoring record has netted three times in his seven games for United so far. Playing on the left-hand side, he keeps out Stevan Jovetic, despite the Montenegrin looking better than he ever has done since signing for City.
Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Forward - Sergio Aguero Aguero or Robin van Persie? It'd be a nice conundrum for a manager to enjoy but based on the season so far, it goes to the Manchester City striker. The Argentinian has 11 goals from 12 games - despite only looking half-fit for most of it. Aguero is quite simply the best striker in the Premier League. In contrast, Van Persie has struggled this term despite the presence of his international mentor Van Gaal. His shirtless celebration after scoring a late equaliser against Chelsea showed his relief at getting back among the goals, and highlighted how frustrating a season it has been up to this point.
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Manchester City vs Manchester United combined XI Forward - Wayne Rooney Edin Dzeko has impressed in a City shirt this term but not as much as Rooney. And as well as keeping out the Bosnian, the Manchester United captain also keeps team-mate Radamel Falcao away from our combined XI. The arrival of the Colombian was supposed to signal the return of the good times at Old Trafford, but between being jet-lagged and not match-fit, Falcao has failed to make an impact with just one goal so far. In contrast, prior to his suspension Rooney had looked in strong form with six goals in 10 appearances for club and country. However, the temperament that got him a red card means the armband goes to the City captain Kompany in this XI.
But he is sure they will all understand what the fixture means to the club after a pep talk from assistant manager Ryan Giggs this week.
"Ryan Giggs presented the analysis of Manchester City, and I felt more tension (about the derby) with him. It was good to see that," Van Gaal said.
"He knows it, he has the experience as a player and now maybe as an assistant manager."
Tensions have run high in the build up to the clash but Van Gaal insists his players must not be overcome by emotion on Sunday afternoon.
He added: "We don't have to accelerate this feeling because it is football and you have to play the game, not only a game with emotion but also in a tactical way.
"For me, I have to analyse and prepare for the games in the same manner (as the other matches)."
Additional reporting by PA
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