Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will miss Sunday's match against Arsenal and faces another week on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, manager Roberto Mancini said on Friday.
The 24-year-old Argentine, who is City's joint top-scorer this season with 10 goals, picked up the injury in City's 3-0 win over Stoke City on New Year's Day and was forced to sit out their FA Cup victory over Watford last weekend.
"Sergio won't be available for at least another week," Mancini said.
Premier League champions City, who will be able to call on left back Aleksandar Kolarov after a four-week injury absence, have not won at Arsenal in 37 years.
"We want to end this run but it will be very difficult because Arsenal are a very good team," Mancini said.
"We are missing a number of important players but we can go there and come away with a good result. We are seven points behind United at present but I don't feel we deserve to be so many points behind.
"Our strikers have been coming back into form again and scoring goals and we will need them to keep doing that. Sometimes you go through a period when you don't score so many but we have scored 10 in our last three games so things are improving."
Photograph: Michael Regan/Getty Images
City star Kolarov probed for alleged racist language
Mancini, Balotelli in training-ground spat: Report
Market blast kills 11 in Pakistan's Quetta city
FA Cup: Liverpool win controversial tie, Arsenal held
Sergio wins Johor Open title; Chowrasia, Kapur 10th