MANCHESTER -- Vincent Kompany will sit out Manchester City's game at Sunderland on Wednesday as the Premier League champions wait to see how long their captain will be missing.
The Belgian defender sustained a hamstring injury in the closing minutes of City's 3-0 win at Southampton on Sunday.
Eliaquim Mangala is suspended after being sent off at St Mary's, leaving manager Manuel Pellegrini to pick two from Martin Demichelis, Dedryck Boyata and Bacary Sagna to form a makeshift centre-back partnership at the Stadium of Light.
Striker Edin Dzeko, midfielder David Silva and left-back Aleksandar Kolarov remain injured while Pellegrini revealed that Matija Nastasic, who could have been an option in the middle of defence, is also absent.
He said in a news conference: "Silva, Dzeko and Aleks Kolarov continue to be injured. About Vincent Kompany, we will know this afternoon [Tuesday] exactly what he has. He has an injury in his hamstring but we will see how long it will be."
Nastasic has not appeared for City since the Community Shield and Pellegrini added: "Unfortunately for him, he is again injured. He has two long injuries this season. He has a muscle injury in his thigh. I don't know if he will be able to work with the squad for one week more so he is not an option for [Sunderland]."
Yaya Toure played in a Champions League final as a centre-back for Barcelona in 2009 and ended the game at St Mary's in the middle of defence but Pellegrini has ruled out using the midfielder as an emergency stopper.
He said: "He has played in that position many years ago. I don't think it is his position in this moment. It was the last minutes [at Southampton], they had also very tall players and we needed a centre back so between him and Fernandinho, it was better for Yaya [to play there] but [on Wednesday] I don't think he will play in that position."
Boyata, who has not featured in the Premier League since 2013, and Sagna, whose only City appearances have been at right-back, are competing to partner Demichelis in the centre of defence.
Pellegrini explained: "We have Dedryck Boyata and he is working very well. We have also Martin Demichelis. We have Bacary Sagna so we have three options. We will see which two of them will play."