McAuley has been ruled out in recent weeks due to a hamstring problem, but having fully recovered from this inital injury, he sustained a partial tear to the medial ligament of his right knee at the start of the week.
Confiming the news to the Official Club Website, Town boss Roy Keane admitted: "Gareth will miss the Coventry game. He picked up a knee injury in training and he's going to be out for a few weeks."
Click here for a full player profile on Gareth McAuley and click here for a game by game rundown of his season.