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11/22/2024 07:15:53 am

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Football News: Manchester City Loses CBs Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Otamendi to Injuries

Manchester City center back Vincent Kompany walks off the pitch after suffering an injury

(Photo : Getty Images) Manchester City center back Vincent Kompany walks off the pitch after suffering an injury during their Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

English Premier League giant Manchester City FC has lost center backs Vincent Kompany and Nicolas Otamendi to injuries during their Champions League match against Dynamo Kiev at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, putting at risk their last eight campaign in the said continental tournament and the team's standing in the domestic top flight as well.

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The Mirror noted that Manuel Pellegrini's squad could be in trouble as "both of his first-choice center-backs limp off with injury in the first half" of the said match. The report also mentioned that the 29-year-old Kompany is "irreplaceable" while Otamendi, only a year younger than the Belgian defender, is not.

Kompany suffered the calf injury five minutes into the match, which is said to be the 14th time he injured the same leg part in his career in Manchester.

Meanwhile, the Argentina international also suffered a leg injury at the 17th minute after an awkward collision with Dynamo midfielder Vitaliy Buyalskyi.

With both defenders out early, the Citizens were unable to score a goal for the rest of the match and settled for the scoreless draw.

City advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2015-2016 UEFA Champions League after their aggregate 3-1 win over the Ukrainian club even as the game ended in a tie.

Kompany could potentially miss the rest of the season, recent reports say, while Otamendi could be back soon.

The City skipper is expected to miss the team's crucial Premier League game against neighborhood rivals Manchester United this Sunday. If Pellegrini's side loses to van Gaal's this weekend, then West Ham could possibly leapfrog City for fourth place in the overall standings and also take the final qualifying berth for next season's Champions League, according to Daily Mail Online.

"Having this problem in his calf and it being the middle of March, at least three-quarters of the rest of the season he (Kompany) will not play," Pellegrini told reporters after the match. "I think he must be very strong with his mentality. It is very difficult to accept it, but there is nothing he can do. So we must see tomorrow with the examinations."

"You always take a risk - the work during the week is also a risk. But he had recovered without any problem. It was the sixth game, but he had not felt any problems before the games, so I think it was not a risk and bad luck only," the outgoing manager added.

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