Manchester City Aims For Premier League Summit Against Struggling Southampton

Manchester City will be looking to ascend to the top of the Premier League table when they host a struggling Southampton side at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon. This matchup marks the first meeting between the two teams since April 2023, when Erling Haaland scored twice in a 4-1 victory at St Mary’s.

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After a late 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League last weekend, Manchester City secured a commanding 5-0 home victory against Sparta Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday. Phil Foden opened the scoring early, and the team dominated the second half with goals from Erling Haaland (two goals), John Stones, and Matheus Nunes, who capped the night with a late penalty.

With seven points from their first three UCL fixtures, City has climbed to third in the 36-team table and set a new Champions League record with 26 consecutive unbeaten matches, surpassing the previous record held by Manchester United.

As City turns its focus back to the Premier League, they remain the only team yet to lose after eight matches, sitting second with 17 points. A victory over Southampton could see them rise to the top before current leaders Liverpool face third-placed Arsenal on Sunday.

City is enjoying its longest unbeaten run in Premier League history at 31 matches, having won 10 of their last 13 encounters with Southampton and remaining unbeaten in 12 games against them at the Etihad (10 wins, 2 draws).

Southampton’s Struggles

In a notable statistic, four teams in the English top flight have failed to win any of their opening eight games for the first time in history, and Southampton is one of them, with one draw and seven losses since being promoted from the Championship last season.

Last weekend, the Saints seemed poised for their first win against Leicester City, leading 2-0 at halftime. However, a second-half comeback from the Foxes resulted in a 3-2 defeat for Southampton, marking a 21-game winless streak in the Premier League (5 draws, 16 losses). While pressure mounts on head coach Russell Martin, the club reportedly has no immediate plans to part ways with him.

Currently sitting 19th in the league with just one point, Southampton is only three points away from safety and aims to avoid failing to win any of their opening nine matches for the first time since the 1998-99 season. However, a positive result against Manchester City will be challenging, as they have won only one of their last 14 league meetings with the Citizens, a 1-0 victory at home in July 2020.

Team News

Manchester City will be without Jack Grealish (knock) and Jeremy Doku (muscle), adding to a growing injury list that includes Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg fracture), Kevin De Bruyne (groin), and Kyle Walker (knee). Pep Guardiola is unlikely to make significant changes to his lineup but is expected to recall key players like Ederson, Josko Gvardiol, and Mateo Kovacic.

Matheus Nunes, who excelled in midweek, may start again on the left flank, supported by Savinho on the right and both Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva in advanced midfield roles behind central striker Haaland.

For Southampton, Ryan Fraser is suspended, while Gavin Bazunu (Achilles), Ross Stewart (muscle), and William Smallbone (hamstring) are unavailable. Yukinari Sugawara is doubtful after an early exit against Leicester. However, Jack Stephens returns from a three-match ban and may partner with Jan Bednarek and former City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis in central defense. Joe Aribo could join Flynn Downes and Mateus Fernandes in midfield, while Tyler Dibling is likely to feature in attack alongside Cameron Archer, who has scored two goals in his last two matches.

Possible Starting Lineups

Manchester City:
Ederson; Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic; Savinho, Bernardo, Foden, Nunes; Haaland

Southampton:
Ramsdale; Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis; Walker-Peters, Aribo, Downes, Fernandes, Manning; Dibling, Archer

Prediction

We predict a 4-1 victory for Manchester City. While City’s defense has not been infallible this season, giving Southampton a glimmer of hope, the Citizens have shown resilience by earning a league-high 13 points from losing positions. Southampton, on the other hand, has dropped the most points (231) from winning positions since the 2012-13 season.

Despite missing a few star players, Guardiola’s side is favored to emerge victorious and reclaim their place atop the Premier League.

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