Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that defender Vincent Kompany is sad after suffering another injury setback which will keep him out for three to four weeks.
The blues captain clashed with City goalkeeper Claudio Bravo at the weekend during their 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, and Guardiola says that the player is sad as he heads back to the treatment room.
He said: “He is sad and upset because it will be a long time that he won’t play for.
“He is injured for the next few weeks, he has a problem with his knee and will be out.”
The City skipper has been plagued by injuries over the past few seasons and will once again miss out as City take on Borussia Monchengladbach in their penultimate match of the Champions League group stages.
Kompany will head to Barcelona in order to receive special treatment to ensure he returns to Guardiola’s side as soon as possible as the blues prepare to go into a congested Christmas fixture schedule.
Guardiola's side set for second place finish
City are currently second in Group C, two points behind Barcelona who are favourites to top the group as they visit Celtic in Scotland to round off their fixtures.
The blues go into their tie in Germany full of confidence after beating Barca in their last match 3-1, but despite the impressive victory Guardiola is playing down any talk of the blues winning the competition.
He continued: “We were so happy with beating Barcelona, but it was just one game.
“We cannot be considered favourites to win. Maybe in ten years, but we need time to achieve that.”
With City likely to cling onto second place, as they sit three points ahead of their German counterparts with a significant goal difference advantage, they will progress to the next round with confidence but are likely to face a stronger opponent in the last 16.
But with that round not until February, the Catalan manager wants his side to put the Champions League to the back of their minds after this clash and focus on the hugely competitive Premier League title race.