Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany will not return from injury for his side's Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris St-Germain at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini said: "He is not 100%. It is not possible."Defender Kompany, 30, has not played since suffering a calf injury as City drew 0-0 against Dynamo Kiev in March to reach the last eight.
Kompany has been plagued by calf injuries in recent seasons, with the latest the 14th such problem he has sustained since joining City in 2008.
The Belgium international was present at City's open training session on Monday morning before being ruled out by Pellegrini at his lunch-time press conference.
David Silva trained after missing Saturday's 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion with an ankle injury with only Raheem Sterling joining Kompany on the injured list.
Defender Nicolas Otamendi did not train with the squad on Monday after suffering an ankle injury at the weekend but will be available as City look to qualify for the semi-finals.
Life beyond Kompany
Without him they look far less secure at the back but Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala will again be charged with trying to keep PSG and top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic at bay.
Pellegrini said: "With this defence we played a lot of games here in the Premier League and in the Champions League and if we are in this stage it is because we have good defenders
"We are always talking, seeing and working with all the defenders. Maybe they made some mistakes in the last game against PSG but I trust they will play in the level they can do it."
Pellegrini not playing safe
But the City manager is not preparing to shut up shop.
Pellegrini added: "I think the most important aspect of this team is always to score. We are working here for three years and I always have the same answer.
"We are a team that is prepared to score goals. If we prepare to play 0-0 I think we lose. You see the same team you see the last two and a half seasons."
Flying the flag
If City make it into the last four, they will be only the second Premier League side - after Chelsea in 2014 - to reach that stage of the competition since 2012.City are already in unchartered territory but Pellegrini does not want to stop there as he looks to end his three-year managerial reign as a Champions League winner.
He said: "I am not thinking about that. If we arrive at the semi-finals with this group it would be a very good achievement. But we wouldn't just be happy with that.
"We must play every game thinking we are the best and that we can win - to arrive to the semi-final to try and win this competition."
Blanc wants French football 'breakthrough'
The French club will be without centre-back David Luiz and midfielder Blaise Matuidi for the game at City through suspension.
"It will be a new era for French football if we go through," said PSG coach Laurent Blanc. "Of course it would change things.
"It would make it a real breakthrough. But that is not enough. Ultimately, the club's objective is to win the Champions League.
"There will be expectations until we win it. A lot of investment has been made. We have to show we are making progress."
Still looking to sell out
On Monday afternoon, there were still around 1,500 tickets left from a capacity of 53,000.
It is suggested not all City fans are happy with how they perceive they and the club has been treated by Uefa, but Pellegrini is backing them to turn out in force for what is one of the biggest games in City's history.
He said: "Tomorrow we will have a full capacity here. The fans, for different reasons, they have not been 100 per cent in this competition but as we continue further they will do it.
"They know tomorrow is a very important occasion for the club."
0 comments:
Post a Comment