Koren will be part of City's matchday squad and will play some minutes in the game, although it would be a major surprise if the former Premier League attacker and Slovenia captain was risked as a starter.

He is, however, expected to be used off the bench at some time in what is always a combustible fixture as he tries to ease himself into the league.

Koren has not played in the A-League for City this season having injured, and then re-injured, a calf while preparing for the season start.

His experience, footballing smarts and ability to create and score goals in the final third of the pitch has been sadly missed by a City side that has only won twice in its nine games - and those two victories coming against the same side, Brisbane Roar, at home and away.

"Robbie Koren will not play ... he's going to be part of the squad, he's just come back from 11 or 12 weeks not playing [but] he is going to be involved in the team," said City boss John van 't Schip before training on Friday.

"He can't play 90 minutes. We have to see what will be the best, whether he is going to start or come in," he said.

"We have to build him up in these coming weeks to make sure that, in the second part of the league, that he is able to start from the beginning to the end playing 90 minutes. Robbie Koren is a player who creates and can score from out of the midfield. That's why we got him in, it's what we needed looking at the team last year.

"Him being injured was a big part of the team ... him not being there didn't help us."

The coach admitted that he had become much tougher in recent weeks in the wake of the horror 5-1 loss in Wellington in City's round-eight game.

He was no longer prepared to protect and mollycoddle players to help them build their confidence, he said.

"I told the players that we will look game by game. The time for giving players a lot of confidence didn't bring what we are looking for, so the approach is different. We look at who is training good, who is in form, who is giving us what we need to get results, so we will approach that every time in the new game coming up.

"It's normal in sport if the results are not going the way you think they should go, and other players deserve a chance. It doesn't mean that those are going to stay on every time. Now you have to earn the right to play, the expectations are higher, the results are important and for that the approach to playing is also different."

While City would love Damien Duff to be available for the derby, he is only a long shot despite training lightly earlier in the week.

"Hopefully Duff can be back next week. He already did a session ... it's too early for the derby, but he is making very good progress for the Perth game [on Boxing Day]."

City's leaky defence has been its Achilles heel this season and van 't Schip admitted that he would like to strengthen it in the January transfer window but his options are limited given that players in the current squad have contracts.

"We don't have at this moment that much room so it's not going to be that easy for any position that we would like to reinforce. We are working hard behind the scenes to see what is possible."