Manchester City will have last season's leading Premier League scorer Sergio Aguero back for the visit of West Ham United on Saturday, but captain Vincent Kompany will be one of several senior players missing.
Belgian defender Kompany picked up a calf injury in the midweek Champions League defeat at home to Juventus and will also miss Tuesday's Capital One Cup game at Sunderland.
"Vincent is not fit for the game," manager Manuel Pellegrini told a news conference on Friday. "(Pablo) Zabaleta, (Gael)Clichy, (Fabian) Delph also. (Samir) Nasri had a kick in the last game. He’s not 100 percent."
There was better news, however, of Argentine striker Aguero, who was not fit enough to start the Juventus game but has now recovered from a knee injury.
Pellegrini suggested that Kompany's absence could mean a debut for Nicolas Otamendi, the defender signed from Valencia last month.
"Maybe Otamendi hasn't worked with us as much as we would have liked but he's an experienced player and will have his chance," the manager said.
"We have a squad and I never complain about players that can't play."
City are four points clear at the top of the table, having won all their five games so far without conceding a goal.
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