Manchester City vs Tottenham: Manuel Pellegrini confirms Vincent Kompany fitness after calf problems

Manchester City will be significantly boosted by the return to fitness of Vincent Kompany for the Premier League clash with second-place Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 14 February. The Belgian captain has endured another difficult campaign due to a recurring calf injury, with his last start in any competition coming in the goalless draw at Aston Villa in November 2015.

Kompany made a brief cameo from the substitutes' bench against Sunderland on Boxing Day, but quickly limped off after just nine minutes. Eventually returning to first-team training last month, Kompany has since suffered no further setbacks and is likely to feature at the Etihad Stadium this weekend as City seek to regain the upper-hand over Mauricio Pochettino's impressive side in the title race.

David Silva is also expected to play, despite recently returning to his native Spain for treatment on yet another ankle problem. He was replaced by young Bersant Celina in the 77th minute of a demoralising 3-1 home defeat by leaders Leicester last time out, but fears that he may be set for an extended spell on the sidelines appear to have been unfounded.

"It's a long injury list – Sagna, Mangala, Delph, Nasri, Navas, De Bruyne and Bony are out. David Silva is OK," Pellegrini, who will be replaced as City boss by Pep Guardiola this summer, was quoted as saying at a press conference by the club's official website.

"We'll see what the starting XI is tomorrow – we're not just thinking about one player and one game, we're involved in a lot of competitions. Maybe we have a lot of criticism when we don't play well but I'm happy with the squad over the whole season.

"You've seen Kompany play for so many years I don't have to say what qualities he brings, he's one of the best defenders in the league. Every player must play a game when they're 100%. Vincent has worked for three weeks with no problems. He played 45 minutes in a friendly game against the Under-21s and I think he's ready to play."

Specifically addressing the latest injuries sustained by Bacary Sagna and Fabian Delph, he added: "Bacary had last week a problem – some liquid in his knee. He needs an injection and one week at least to return to work. Delph is worse as he has a problem with his achilles tendon. He needs six or seven weeks to recover. It's difficult with so many injuries in the same position. Unfortunately, that's part of the season and we must try to manage with the players we have."