• Premier League

City target Kompany comeback against Chelsea

Vincent Kompany sustained a thigh injury in the win over Everton © PA Photos

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Manchester City hope captain Vincent Kompany will be able to make his comeback against Chelsea next Sunday.

The defender sustained a thigh injury in City's 3-1 win over Everton in their last match and, having missed Belgium's World Cup qualifiers, he is set to miss the clash at West Ham on Saturday and will sit out Wednesday's Champions League game away against CSKA Moscow.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini said: "Vincent is working hard. He is not ready to play but I hope next week he will be [fit]."

Pellegrini also believes that Martin Demichelis could be in contention to make his belated debut when City visit Stamford Bridge on October 27.

The Argentinian centre-back, who was a £4 million signing from Atletico Madrid, injured his hamstring in training days after his arrival.

But he represented City's Elite Development Squad against Rochdale in midweek and while the West Ham game will come too soon for him, Pellegrini is optimistic the 32-year-old will be available for the trip to Chelsea.

He added: "Demichelis played last Wednesday 45 minutes for the reserves. I think he is in the shape as Kompany, I hope that next week both of them could be fit."

Jack Rodwell, who also faced Rochdale, will return to the squad for the West Ham game.

Pellegrini meanwhile admits he is worried by City's poor away form and has told his team they must stop making mistakes on the road.

City go into a run of four consecutive away games when they face West Ham, before travelling to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League, visiting Chelsea in the Premier League and going to Newcastle in the Capital One Cup.

But so far this season, they have only taken one point from a possible nine on their travels in the Premier League - only Crystal Palace have fewer - and manager Pellegrini is adamant they have to improve.

He said: "Of course we are worried about that. I think we deserve more points away the way we are playing but the reality says we have one point from nine so we need to win. Now we play four games in a row away so it is the best moment to win."

City have been beaten at Cardiff and Aston Villa in the Premier League, and Pellegrini is concerned by their defensive lapses.

He added: "If we see the statistics of the games we played away, of course we must be worried because Villa scored three goals and Cardiff scored three goals. We must address a lot of unnecessary mistakes, unnecessary fouls and concentration at set-pieces. We must improve the performance of all of our defending as a team."

Pellegrini believes West Ham manager Sam Allardyce could copy Villa's blueprint to stop his side.

He explained: "Maybe he will try to play exactly the same way Aston Villa played against us, waiting with nine or 10 players defending and trying to counter-attack. That is how they normally play. They are a very strong team and a very dangerous team. We are aware of that."

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