Ninkovic has been battling a calf injury since sustaining the problem in the FFA Cup Final, missing the past two matches.

Arnold said the ex-Serbia international wouldn’t be rushed back, despite the lure of the glamour derby fixture.

“We’ll give him up until the final moment to see whether he’s worth taking that risk or not,” Arnold said.

“We clearly have it in our mind that we have 18 games to go.

“It’s a process we’ve got to go through with 27 rounds.

“We won’t risk him for one game with another 17 to go.

“He’ll be training fully today.”