Manchester City vs Southampton
Date: 04/11/18
K/O: 15.00
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Referee: Lee Mason
Manchester City will be seeking a club-record seventh consecutive Premier League clean sheet when they host Southampton on Sunday.
Having made 10 changes for the victory over Fulham in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night, Pep Guardiola is expected to bring back much of the starting line-up that defeated Tottenham on Monday. As for the visitors, they will be significantly fresher having had no midweek League cup exploits to contend with.
The Saints are also expected to retain the same side from the previous weekend, although Charlie Austin may miss out through injury, while Pierre Emile Hojbjerg is closing in on a return.
Reigning Champions Manchester City were unconvincing on Monday night, wasting several chances to kill off Spurs and making mistakes throughout which on another day may not go unpunished. Particularly guilty of such mistakes was left-back Benjamin Mendy, but having been rested for the trip to Fulham on Thursday, the Frenchman will start against Southampton.
Aymeric Laporte and John Stones are in excellent form in the centre of defence and are expected to be partnered once again, while Kyle Walker will continue on the right.
City’s midfield appeared close to full strength on Thursday, but Kevin De Bruyne suffered a setback in the closing stages and has been ruled out for five to six weeks which is a huge blow to Guardiola’s side. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan returned to training on Tuesday but is not expected to be fit to start. Despite their wastefulness on Monday, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero will form the attacking trident against the Saints.
City remain without long-term absentees Claudio Bravo and Eliaquim Mangala, but Danilo made an impressive return against Fulham and could feature if Pep chooses to give Benjamin Mendy or Kyle Walker an extended rest.
Southampton will remain unchanged in defence; Cedric, Ryan Bertrand, Wesley Hoedt and Jack Stephens lining up once again ahead of Alex McCarthy. With Austins likely absence and the return of Hojbjerg, Mark Hughes is expected to revert to a five-man midfield for the Welshman’s visit to his former employer.
If passed fit, Hojbjerg will play in a central three alongside Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina, with Mohamed Elyounoussi and Nathan Redmond on either flank and Danny Ings the lone striker. The Saints have won just once in the Premier League all season and fans will not expect their situation to improve at the Etihad.
Though a club-record seventh consecutive Premier League clean sheet is within sight, Pep Guardiola will surely have banished talk of such notions as his side seek another three points to remain top of the table. If Ederson does start and keeps Southampton out on Sunday, his seventh consecutive clean sheet will be the longest run of any Goalkeeper in the Premier League since Edwin van der Sar’s record 14-game-run in 2008/09.
City remain in the hunt for the quadruple but are being pursued far closer than last season already with Liverpool and Chelsea both appearing serious title contenders.
Though Southampton are not expected to pose a significant threat, they proved stubborn opponents on both occasions last season with City victorious in both, courtesy of injury-time winners.
Despite the acquisition of Danny Ings this summer, Saints have failed to solve the problems that consistently blighted them last year and nearly cost their Premier League status. Nathan Redmond currently holds the unwanted record of having had the most shots without scoring this season in the Premier League, failing to find the net with any of his 19 efforts.
The South-coast club have won just one game in the league this term – a 2-0 triumph at Crystal Palace – and only Huddersfield have scored less than their six-goal haul to date.
With that being said, after their scheduled Tuesday night Carabao Cup match at Leicester was postponed this week, they will be fresher than many of their Mancunian counterparts come Sunday.
Predicted Starting XI’s
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Stones, Laporte, Mendy; B. Silva, Fernandinho, D. Silva; Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling
Southampton (4-5-1): McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Hoedt, Bertrand; Elyounoussi, Hojbjerg, Romeu, Lemina, Redmond; Ings
Predicted Score: Manchester City 3 Southampton 0
Manchester City have been in exceptional form at home this season and it is difficult to predict anything other than a City win on Sunday.
