Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini expects more goals from Raheem Sterling

City have not kept a clean sheet since Kompany’s last game against Aston Villa on November 8 and the Belgian will miss out again on Saturday along with striker Sergio Aguero, though Pellegrini hopes both will resume training next week and Aguero in particular has a chance of facing Arsenal on December 21.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is convinced his team have been the Premier League’s best this season and denied they are too inconsistent.

Manchester City provisional squad: Hart, Caballero, Sagna, Otamendi, Mangala, Demichelis, Clichy, Kolarov, Maffeo, Toure, Fernandinho, Delph, Sterling, Silva, De Bruyne, Navas, Bony, Iheanacho, Roberts, Garcia.

Pellegrini said: “Aguero is improving but he will not be ready for this weekend”.

“I hope he will start working with the squad Tuesday or Wednesday”, Pellegrini confirmed.

“Maybe you can defend better with eight or nine players near our box but it is not the way we play”.

“He is one of the players who has been most exposed to fatigue”, Pellegrini said.

“Raheem always works very well from the first day until now”, Pellegrini told reporters.

Defensively, however, City do look defensively vulnerable without Kompany, who has not played for more than a month because of a calf problem. “That’s a very important difference that we will see during the week but I think we have just a few days”.

“If you don’t finish at the top of this group, I don’t think it is disappointing because we had to play twice against Juventus and we didn’t beat them”.

“Fernando and Zabaleta are not ready yet”.

Many ex-Liverpool players-turned-pundits criticised the winger’s move to the Etihad, suggesting it would be better for him to continue to learn the game at Anfield rather than risk being in and out of City’s side.

The former Malaga boss also rejected claims that City have become something of a Jekyll and Hyde outfit: “I hope not, I hope not because I am disappointed about three games during this season”.

The Nigerian, who was recently called up by his country for the first time and has been tipped for big things at City even before officially signing for the club in February, has also started two matches in league and cup this season and has scored three goals in all competitions.