Pep Guardiola: 'Vincent Kompany injury not as bad as feared'

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed that Vincent Kompany and John Stones may be in contention to face Crystal Palace on New Year's Eve.

The Citizens feared losing their skipper to another long-term injury sustained early on in the 1-0 win over Newcastle United in midweek, while Stones has not featured since last month due to a hamstring problem.

Providing an update ahead of this weekend's trip to Selhurst Park, however, Guardiola offered some positive news for Man City fans as both central defenders could be back in action.

"[Kompany's] is not as bad as we thought. He will be ready for the next fixtures. We will know exactly tomorrow," he told reporters. "It's not a big issue, fortunately he can soon be ready to help us.

"Stones? We will see tomorrow - he is much, much better. Yesterday he made the first complete training session. He's not ready for 90 minutes but can be back in the team. For the next games he will be fit."

Meanwhile, Guardiola admitted that he is unsure whether David Silva and Fabian Delph will be involved against Palace.