Monaco lose captain Zakaria for City and Spurs Champions League clashes

Monaco captain Denis Zakaria faces a two-month absence due to a thigh injury that kept the Swiss midfielder out of their recent midweek Champions League loss away to Club Brugge, as coach Adi Hutter confirmed on Saturday.

"He is not likely to return to the field for a minimum of two months," Hutter commented prior to Sunday's Ligue 1 home fixture against Metz.

Zakaria is set to sit out Champions League encounters with Manchester City, Tottenham and Bodo Glimt for certain, while his availability remains uncertain for the fixtures versus Pafos in late November and Galatasaray in early December.

Earlier in the week, Monaco endured a heavy 4-1 defeat to Club Brugge in the absence of Zakaria, who suffered the injury during a training session, though the full details emerged only on Saturday.

In Ligue 1 this season, Monaco have gathered nine points across four matches, following their third-place finish last year behind Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille.