Nasri to go under the knife

Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri is set to undergo surgery on his groin and is expected be out of action for a month, Blues manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed.

Nasri missed the 7-0 Capital One Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday in midweek and after confirming the 27-year-old Frenchman will not be featuring in today’s Premier League match at Hull, Pellegrini said: “It’s serious because maybe he will have surgery in the next days.

“I’m not a doctor but I think he will be out for around one month. He was training but he wasn’t 100%.”

City are also currently without midfielder Fernando (groin) and striker Stevan Jovetic (hamstring), although Pellegrini said of that pair: “Both of them, I think, will be ready next week.”

Striker Sergio Aguero and playmaker David Silva are back available for today’s contest after knee and ankle problems respectively, along with Pablo Zabaleta following the completion of his suspension.

Big-money summer signing Eliaquim Mangala will be looking to keep his place at centre-half having come into the team for the last two games.

Pellegrini would not be drawn on whether he views the 23-year-old France international as a long-term first choice, but he has been impressed by the start Mangala has made.

The Chilean said: “Mangala worked a lot with us before he made his first start. I think that was very important for him. I think in both games he did very well.”

Hull could have hoped for easier opponents as they attempt to solve defensive problems that have seen them throw away winning positions four times this season, including each of the last three matches.

It may be too much to ask for a shutout this time around, but Curtis Davies is still expecting a significant improvement.

“I can’t put my finger on what it is but for me as a centre-half it’s very frustrating,” he said.

“We need to work on it as a back four and as a team because it’s not good enough really.”