Manchester United are set to host arch-rivals Manchester City in the Premier League in Saturday’s early kick-off.
The Red Devils will come into the highly-anticipated derby off the back of one win and one draw in their last two matches, in all competitions.
Elsewhere, the Citizens, led by manager Pep Guardiola, will be desperate to get back to winning way following a shock 2-0 domestic defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend.
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The magnitude of this weekend’s game speaks for itself and Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will need to find a way to navigate the tough tie without the use of defender Raphael Varane.
Having picked up an injury during his side’s mid-week Champions League group game against Atalanta, the France international is now expected to be out for several weeks.
“Well, with all the technology now you expect him to be out for four or five weeks with the scans that we’ve, and the pictures we’ve seen of him,” Solskjaer told reporters at a scheduled press conference. “Of course it’s a blow for us because Raphael has come in and been really, really influential but then Eric [Bailly] came in last time and was excellent so that’s why we have big squads – so we can cope with some absentees sometimes.”