An ever-changing Premier League title race has taken another twist as Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne has been ruled out for the next month.
City have gone from eight points behind Liverpool before Christmas to four ahead of the Champions with a game in hand and two behind Manchester United.
Central to City's recent winning streak of nine games in succession has been the form of De Bruyne, who has played in his usual midfield position and also as a false nine in the win over Chelsea.
It was De Bruyne's brilliant assist that helped City past Crystal Palace, and he has recently notched his 100th assist in all competitions for City.
Now, though, after suffering a hamstring injury against Aston Villa, De Bruyne will be out for four to six weeks, according to Pep Guardiola.
The initial hopes were that De Bruyne would only miss a fortnight of action, while the player himself said his injury was 'just part of getting older'. Another assessment, however, has ruled the Belgian out for slightly longer.
It means he will definitely miss next month's crucial clash at Liverpool, followed by the home clash against Jose Mourinho's Tottenham side. If De Bruyne is out for the maximum estimation of six weeks, he might also miss the next Manchester derby vs United in March.
These are City's fixtures in the next six weeks:
Jan 23 - Cheltenham (A - FA Cup)
Jan 26 - West Brom (A)
Jan 30 - Sheffield United (H)
Feb 3 - Burnley (A)
Feb 7 - Liverpool (A)
Feb 10 - Swansea/Nottingham Forest (A - FA Cup fifth round, provisional tie and date)
Feb 13 - Tottenham (H)
Feb 21 - Arsenal (A)
Feb 24 - Borussia Monchengladbach (A - Champions League last 16 first leg)
Feb 27 - West Ham (H)
Mar 6 - Manchester United (H)
