Southampton vs Man City: Premier League – Preview and Predictions
By Marc Walker
Another tough test heads Southampton’s way on Sunday as current Premier League Champions Manchester City arrive at St Mary’s.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will be wanting to gain more points in their quest for survival this season following a 2-1 loss to West Ham on Thursday night.
It proved to be a strange showing from Saints who never got going in the contest despite two morale-boosting victories previously.
Pep Guardiola’s visitors will also be in determined mood after surprising consecutive losses to Crystal Palace and Leicester City saw them slip seven points behind league leaders Liverpool.
These results have come somewhat out of the blue after City had looked in imperious form in their quest to retain the Premier League title.
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Team News
Saints will be boosted by the return of inspirational midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who continues to be a key player for the team.
Michael Obafemi remains out through injury whilst this match could come too soon for Ryan Bertrand.
Yan Valery is expected to keep his place in the side despite Cedric being fit with Hasenhuttl reportedly preferring youthful exuberance.
Fabian Delph will be missing for City after being sent off against Leicester.
Fernandinho is expected to remain on the sidelines but David Silva could start after making a substitute appearance last time out.
Vincent Kompany and Gabriel Jesus could return to the squad after late fitness tests.
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Why Southampton will win
Recent losses for Man City have potentially exposed weaknesses in their setup that can be exploited by Saints.
A lot of this has been put down to the absence of Fernandinho; a big miss as one of the best defensive midfielders in the top-flight.
New Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl seems to be getting much more out of his attacking players especially and they recently surprised Arsenal with a 3-2 win.
Why Manchester City will win
Guardiola and his side cannot really afford any more slip-ups if they are to remain in the title race.
This is likely to provide extra motivation for an already World Class group of players in a competitive squad.
Despite recent results too, the quality of the players in their side means that any one of them could produce a moment of brilliance at any time.
Predicted Lineups
Southampton
Goalkeeper: Alex McCarthy
Defenders: Yan Valery, Jan Bednarek, Maya Yoshida, Jannik Vestergaard, Matt Targett
Midfielders: Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oriol Romeu, Stuart Armstrong
Striker: Danny Ings
Manchester City
Goalkeeper: Ederson
Defenders: Kyle Walker, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Oleksandr Zinchenko
Midfielders: Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan, David Silva
Forwards: Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Leroy Sane