Vincent Kompany risks the ire of gaffer Manuel Pellegrini by playing for Belgium

Having already lost Sergio Aguero, Aleksandar Kolarov, and David Silva to injury during the international break, Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany may return following a month on the sidelines for a near-inconsequential match Tuesday against Israel.

Kompany, who has not played since limping off during a Champions League loss to Juventus on September 15, will start Tuesday if he passes a fitness check by coach Marc Wilmots, according to Mark Ogden of The Telegraph.

Despite an injury crisis at the Etihad, FIFA regulations maintain that City gaffer Manuel Pellegrini can have no influence over the decisions of the national team.

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"He is free of pain and ready to play, so I think he's good right now," Wilmots said. "We will decide together if he can play, but I think it will be alright. I don't see any problem if he feels okay.

"There is one more practice before the match. Vincent has to prove he's okay to play, then I have a choice to make," Wilmots continued. "I trust my players and this game against Israel is not a charity match for us."

While Belgium has already qualified for next summer's continental tournament, a win would see the once-afterthought nation vault above Argentina and Germany into FIFA's No. 1 spot.

A win for Israel and dropped points for Bosnia-Herzegovina could see the Middle Eastern side vault above the Balkan nation and into a third-place playoff spot in Group B.

Whether a match of massive magnitude or of no consequence, Pellegrini is concerned about the injury-riddled history of his robust centre-back.

"I cannot ask him (Kompany) not to travel," Pellegrini said on October 2. "If the national team call him, he must go, but he cannot play, so I don't think he will play."

The Chilean manager continued, "If you cannot play for your club, you cannot play for your national squad. We will see what Vincent will do."