Melbourne Victory will delay a decision on playing injured skipper Adrian Leijer in the A-League derby against Melbourne Heart until match day.

Leijer hurt his shoulder in the Victory’s 1-1 midweek draw with Gold Coast United, but bravely played on despite the problem.

Victory coach Jim Magilton said Leijer would be assessed on Saturday, when a decision would be made about whether he would play that night at AAMI Park.

“The turnaround’s pretty quick so we’ll see what it’s like tomorrow afternoon,” Magilton said on Friday.

“He’s the skipper, it’s a derby, he wants to play.”

The eighth-placed Victory are still searching for their first win under Magilton, and desperately need maximum points to keep in contact with the top six.

Heart have dropped from second to fifth in recent weeks, having picked up just two points in their past six matches.