Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Manchester City will be without four regular starters this Sunday when Arsenal visit the Etihad Stadium.

David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Pablo Zabaleta and Aleksandr Kolarov have all been ruled out of the weekend’s match, which has Champions League football riding on it.

Silva suffered a muscle injury in the Champions League semi-final first leg draw with Real Madrid and the Citizens badly missed his ingenuity in the return game, failing to get a single shot on target as they lost 1-0 and were knocked out of the competition.

The game also saw them lose captain and defensive stalwart Vincent Kompany, who picked up an incredible fifth injury of the season on Wednesday evening.

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Vincent Kompany picked up another injury on Wednesday and won’t play this weekend. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Kompany lasted just ten minutes at the Santiago Bernabéu before pulling up and being replaced by Eliaquim Mangala.

When fit, both Silva and Kompany are guaranteed to start for Pellegrini’s team.

The two other defensive injuries are not guaranteed starters but are always a part of the matchday squad. Their absences mean two former Gunners will definitely start.

Pablo Zabaleta has lost his place to Bacary Sagna this season but remains a fan favourite at City and has still played 22 times this season.

On the other side of the defence, Gael Clichy will start. He is often rotated with Kolarov but the fact he is out means Pellegrini has a very straightforward decision to make.