Tim Sherwood is pleased with the progress of Younes Kaboul, Paulinho, Sandro and Jan Vertonghen - but insists he won't rush them back to face City if they are not completely ready.
All four players are back in training after injury lay-offs and played in last week's friendly win at West Ham.
Andros Townsend (hamstring) and Erik Lamela (thigh) are the only players not currently training with the group.
"The four lads are back in training but we have to be cautious of not rushing them back," said Head Coach Tim. "We have to make sure they are ready.
"Andros and Erik are the only ones not training at the moment.
"The lads are getting fitter, stronger and very soon we’ll have a full squad to pick from.
"That (having the full squad) will be huge for us. It doesn’t get bigger than City and the temptation would be to put them back in, but if they are not ready, it could be counter-productive."