Manchester City hope their injury crisis will ease with David Silva and Wilfried Bony in contention to make comebacks against Southampton on Saturday.
The 2014 Premier League champions are without six injured players, plus ineligible forward Kelechi Iheanacho, for Wednesday's Champions League clash with Juventus in Italy.
But while manager Manuel Pellegrini believes centre-backs Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala will not be able to return against Ronald Koeman's side at the Etihad Stadium, he thinks could have more attacking options.
Striker Bony suffered a hamstring injury against Aston Villa in November while midfielder Silva has already sat out eight games with the ankle problem he sustained playing for Spain against Luxembourg in October.
Fellow midfielder Samir Nasri is a long-term absentee while right-back Pablo Zabaleta is also unavailable for the game against the Serie A winners.
"We have a difficult situation with too many injured," Pellegrini said at a news conference. "In defence, we have Zabaleta, Kompany and Mangala injured. In midfield, Nasri and Silva, while in attack, Bony is out.
"I hope that David could be involved in the game at the weekend. I'm not 100 per cent sure but he has improved a lot in the last two days -- I also hope Bony will be fit.
"It will be difficult for Vincent and Mangala to be ready for then and Samir is out for four or five months."