Premier League: Manchester City VS Southampton Match Preview - Head-to-head, Lineup & prediction
On Saturday, unbeaten Manchester City will host struggling Southampton for their ninth Premier League game at the Etihad Stadium. After a 5-0 rout of Copenhagen in a midweek European match, the Citizens shift their emphasis back to domestic competition
Erling Haaland and Manchester city squadLast Saturday, Southampton suffered their third consecutive league loss to Everton, raising worries over the Austrian's future with the club.
Ralph Hasenhuttl will be aiming for an upset against the high-flying City when the two teams meet this weekend, as he is under immense pressure with his team sitting in 16th place and facing a matchup against the league's hottest team.
Manchester City is a heavy favourite to defeat Southampton and reclaim the Premier League lead from Arsenal, at least momentarily, this afternoon.
This season, Pep Guardiola's defending champions have only dropped points twice across all competitions. They are now riding a formidable five-game winning streak in which they have displayed their huge goal-scoring muscles, led by Erling Haaland's fantastic talent.
Manchester City will fancy their chances of completing a similar demolition job against Southampton and leapfrogging leaders Arsenal. They do not play again until Sunday, when they face Liverpool in a massive match.
Haaland was credited with two goals before halftime, bringing his total in all competitions to 19 destinations.
Head-to-head: Manchester City has 39 wins, whereas Southampton sits at 32. In comparison, 27 games have been drawn.
Arriving at the Etihad, where the Saints have not won since 2004, is an ominous sign for Hasenhuttl in these troubled times. In addition, Southampton has conceded a goal in each of their 18 away games, a streak that the manager hopes to end on Saturday.
Manchester City predicted the lineup
Kyle Walker, who underwent surgery for a groin injury earlier this week and is now in a battle against time to be fit for the World Cup, is unavailable for Manchester City.
John Stones and Kalvin Phillips remain sidelined with hamstring and shoulder injuries, respectively.
Rodri, who missed the Manchester derby and the Champions League game last week due to injury, might return to the starting lineup.
Predicted lineup: Ederson, Foden, Haaland, Grealish, Cancelo, Dias, Ake, Gomez, De Bruyne, Rodri, Bernardo.
Southampton predicted lineup
Ralph Hasenhuttl has declared that his club has no significant injury concerns before their crucial match versus City.
Despite this, Southampton is still without Tino Livramento and Romeo Lavia, and Adam Armstrong and Juan Larios are undergoing late fitness tests.
Predicted lineup: Bazunu, Mara, Adams, Walker-Peters, Bella-Kotchap, Caleta-Car, Larios, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Diallo, Aribo
Manchester City vs Southampton prediction
Last September, Manchester City was fortunate to escape this match with a scoreless draw, but that will not be the case this time.
Keeping in mind Haaland's fiery form, complimented by Foden, the match will be a high-scoring one.
Final prediction: Manchester City 3-0 Southampton
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