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MANCHESTER (Sporting Alert) — Manchester City playmaker David Silva will miss the Manchester English Premier League derby against Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday due to an injury.
Silva suffered a knee injury, following an awkward tangle with Ryan Taylor during the early minutes of Manchester City’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Capital One Cup on Wednesday night.
The Premier League defending champions confirmed that the Spanish international now face up to four weeks out with the injury, which means he is set to miss the Champions League clashes against CSKA Moskva and Bayern Munich, as well as the English Premier League games against QPR, Swansea City and even the match with Southampton.
Silva started all, but of Manchester City’s league game this season and has created 22 chances for his teammates this season.
“David has a problem with his ligament and he will be out for about three weeks, so he will not be available (for the Manchester derby),” Man City manager Manuel Pellegrini confirmed at his press conference on Friday.
“David is a very important player but I always say the same thing. We have a squad and we have to replace him with another player.”
Pellegrini also said that Yaya Toure has a “small problem” but he expects the midfielder to be fully fit for the home derby.
“Yaya has a small problem,” the boss said. “We’ll see tomorrow but I think he will have no problems to play.”
Meanwhile, Pellegrini admits that a win against Manchester United is very important for him, but at the same time dismissed suggestions that this is the biggest league game of his team’s early campaign.
“It’s not the biggest game for me – all of them are. Especially when you have to win three points,” he said.
“Especially against Liverpool or Chelsea it’s a game of six points. If you win and your rival doesn’t win.
“I always say that I am not the kind of manager that thinks because you win you did one thing or when you lose, the other thing.
“It’s important to play in the same way and it’s the players make the difference.”
Pellegrini is bracing for a tough encounter with their arch rivals, who secured a late 1-1 draw at home against English Premier League leaders Chelsea last Sunday and will welcome back forward Wayne Rooney from suspension.
Manchester City were beaten 2-1 by West Ham United in their last EPL meeting.
“I expect that we are going to have a tough game against a very good team with very good players,” he said.
