Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will not be risked in Saturday's Premier League clash against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium.
The Argentina forward is close to fitness after a groin injury but is likely to be left out with Tuesday's Champions League game against Villarreal in mind.
Fellow forward Mario Balotelli has overcome a back problem while Owen Hargreaves could come into contention to make his league debut.
Carlos Tevez, the subject of internal disciplinary proceedings, is highly unlikely to feature following his recent club suspension.
Aston Villa's leading scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor is expected to be fit for the game.
Agbonlahor has been suffering with a back problem and was substituted during the 2-0 win over Wigan a fortnight ago, but has trained with no ill-effects this week.
Midfielders Stephen Ireland (foot) and Barry Bannan (Achilles) plus defender James Collins (foot) are also expected to be available, but striker Nathan Delfouneso (hamstring) and the on-loan Jermaine Jenas (Achilles) are ruled out.
Teams:
Manchester City (from): Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Milner, Richards, Savic, Clichy, K Toure, Y Toure, Johnson, Silva, Barry, Nasri, De Jong, Hargreaves, Balotelli, Dzeko, Pantilimon.
Aston Villa (from): Given, Guzan, Hutton, Collins, Dunne, Clark, Warnock, Beye, Herd, Delph, Petrov, Ireland, Bannan, Albrighton, Gardner, Bent, Heskey, Agbonlahor, N'Zogbia.
