Manchester City defender Pablo Zabaleta says they must step things up in the absence of Yaya Toure.

Zabaleta is anxious to ensure Toure's absence, along with that of his brother Kolo and back-up striker Abdul Razak, is not keenly felt as they join Ivory Coast's African Nations Cup campaign.

The Argentina international said: "It's going to be a very tough time for us because we're going to lose Kolo, Yaya and Abdul, three important players.

"Yaya has been a regular player for a long time. We know how important Yaya is to the team but there are other players who can do the same job.

"Everybody is important for the team and we need to keep working hard.

"Last season, January and February was when we dropped points and we need to try to make sure that doesn't happen again."