Southampton will be looking to extend their three match unbeaten run in the Premier League when they host Manchester City on Saturday.
Although this match will be one of the toughest tests that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have faced this season, they will be returning to St Mary’s in good form after wins against Brighton and Sheffield United and a draw at Arsenal.
By their own lofty standards, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have struggled and currently sit in ninth place – six places but only four points below Saints.
Two league meetings between these two teams in the 2019/20 campaign produced a 2-1 for City but a surprise 1-0 victory for Saints at St Mary’s as they turned their season around.
Ahead of the upcoming fixture, there has been some interesting team news that may give an indication as to which way the result may go this time.
Saints look set to have a full squad of players available once again for the third game running.
However, a week of high intensity matches has led to Ralph Hasenhuttl hinting at making changes and utilising his squad if some players need a rest.
In his pre-match press conference, the Austrian said:
"“We must always be careful – we have a few players who are coming back from longer injuries, and three games in a week over 90 minutes is not a good idea,” Hasenhüttl said.“We must be careful, but it depends how fit the player is. We have a few tired bodies, but the rest is ok.”"
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It remains to be seen which players will be rested, but squad management will be crucial at this stage of the season – especially with a small group like Saints have.
The likes of Nathan Redmond and Moussa Djenepo may well come in against City, whilst Jack Stephens is a candidate to come into defence.
James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu are key to the current setup but Ibrahima Diallo could come in for his first start if needed.
Manchester City could be without Sergio Aguero after he picked up a fresh injury problem during midweek training.
The Argentine did take part in City’s session on Friday – via mancity.com – but Pep Guardiola was unclear on how many minutes his start striker could play against Saints.
Defenders Eric Garcia and Oleksandr Zinchenko are longer term absentees for the Citizens in an otherwise fit squad.