Man City fearing Juventus clash without Vincent Kompany, David Silva

And while manager Manuel Pellegrini is optimistic both could return for next Saturday's home game against Southampton, each could miss Wednesday's meeting with the Serie A winners and Champions League finalists.

Kompany had recovered from gastroenteritis before being injured in training and Pellegrini revealed in a news conference: "It's his calf. I am hoping that next week he will be fit but the calf is such a difficult muscle you never know how much [time] he needs."

Silva has already sat out seven City games after being hurt playing for Spain and Pellegrini explained: "It's a long injury because it's not a muscle injury. It's an ankle and for different reasons he can't be 100 percent fit.

"If a player is not comfortable I think that he can't play but he's a player that we need, especially now that we don't have Samir Nasri for four or five months.

"I hope it's the same as with Vincent, that next week he can be okay."

Nasri had said he was out for three months, but Pellegrini suggested his injury is more serious than that, adding: "Samir Nasri has a tendon injury in his right leg so now he must have surgery because it's an important injury."

Pellegrini confirmed that Sergio Aguero, who has missed City's last seven matches with a hamstring strain, will begin the game against Liverpool, as his deputy Wilfried Bony is absent, but does not expect the Argentinian to finish it.

"It will be difficult because he has gone so many days without playing," he said. "I don't think he is ready to play 90 minutes or to play two or three games in a week. It is important for Sergio to evaluate during the game how many minutes he feels he can play.

"But he must start in this game because we don't have Bony and it is important for the team to have Sergio."