Manuel Pellegrini: 'Fernandinho out for three to four weeks'

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that midfielder Fernandinho could miss nearly a month of action with a muscle injury.

The Brazilian picked up the problem prior to the Citizens' 1-0 defeat to Chelsea on Monday night, a result which ended the their 100% Premier League home record this term.

Pellegrini has partly attributed the loss to Fernandinho's absence and has ruled the 28-year-old out of the FA Cup rematch against the Blues and City's Champions League last-16 first-leg clash with Barcelona.

He told reporters: "Fernandinho has a muscle injury - we will see tomorrow how long he will be, but we think it will be three or four weeks."

Fernandinho, whose central midfield berth against Chelsea was filled by Martin Demichelis, could also be sidelined for Premier League games against Norwich City, Sunderland and Stoke City.