Southampton vs Manchester City
Date: 30/12/2018
K/O: 14:15
Venue: St. Mary’s Stadium
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Referee: Lee Mason
Manchester City travel to a resurgent Southampton side looking to get the defence of their Premier League title back on track.
Pep Guardiola’s champions have lost three of their last four league fixtures, including their last two against Crystal Palace and Leicester. As for the Saints, they have lost their most recent fixture vs West Ham on Thursday but they have shown vast improvements since new boss Ralph Hasenhuttl took the reins a few days into December.
Both sides will make changes as they continue their busy festive schedules, with this clash the Saints’ second of three in a seven day period. Ralph Hasenhuttl welcomes back Pierre Emile Hojbjerg from suspension, while Cedric Soares is approaching full fitness after missing the last four games.
If fit, Cedric will replace Yan Valery at right wingback, while Jack Stephens and Wesley Hoedt may come into the back three if Hasenhuttl decides to shuffle his pack. With Hojbjerg available again, one of Oriol Romeu or Mario Lemina will be rotated out, while James Ward-Prowse and Mohamed Elyounoussi could come in for Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong.
Danny Ings has scored seven league goals so far this season as Southampton’s shining light, but the Liverpool loanee may be rested having started the last three fixtures. Charlie Austin will deputise if Ings is granted a rest.
As for the Citizens, they may make several changes from the team that lost at the King Power on Boxing Day. Fabian Delph begins a three-game suspension after his late red card, with Oleksandr Zinchenko is set to come in at left back. Kyle Walker will return at right-back in place of Danilo, while Nicolas Otamendi is set to return in the centre of defence in place of John Stones, who will occupy a more advanced role in the continued absence of Fernandinho.
Brazilian Fernandinho is expected to be fit for the trip to the South Coast, but Pep Guardiola will not risk him ahead of the huge crunch match with Liverpool on Thursday. Guardiola faces other dilemmas in his midfield with both David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne available again. The lineup at St. Mary’s will likely provide a strong idea of how they will start against Liverpool.
David Silva looks set to start with either Bernardo Silva or Ilkay Gundogan the other side of John Stones in the centre. Sergio Aguero will return to the bench in favour of Gabriel Jesus, with Riyad Mahrez also set to come in in place of Raheem Sterling.
This corresponding fixture last season came on the final day, as an injury-time winner from Gabriel Jesus took City to the 100-point mark. Though both league meetings were won in added time by City in 2017/18, their most recent encounter was a more one-sided affair with City running out 6-1 winners at the Etihad.
Both sides find themselves in markedly different situations since that game however. Since sacking Mark Hughes a month later, Southampton have beaten Arsenal and Huddersfield and put in improved displays against Cardiff and West Ham.
The Citizens approached the October meeting with Southampton chasing a seventh consecutive league clean sheet. They approach this fixture hoping to avoid going seven games without a clean sheet. Much of City’s most recent troubles have been put down to the absence of Fernandinho, but even before the Brazilian was missing City began to look increasingly fragile at the back.
Pep Guardiola has been unfortunate with injuries this so far this campaign but looked to be turning a corner as Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva were eased back to action in recent weeks. The visit to Southampton should’ve been a straight-forward affair, but having dropped nine points in December already, an increased focus will be placed on Southampton, with another loss likely to be fatal to City’s title defence.
Predicted Starting XIs
Southampton (3-4-2-1): McCarthy; Bednarek, Stephens, Vestergaard; Cedric, Lemina, Hojbjerg, Targett; Ward-Prowse, Redmond; Austin
Manchester City (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Otamendi, Zinchenko; Stones, D. Silva, B. Silva; Mahrez, Jesus, Sane
Score Prediction: Southampton 1 Manchester City 2
After recent defeats, Manchester City need to bounce back if they are to win back-to-back Premier League titles. Southampton have shown promise under Ralph Hasenhuttl but this one will be difficult for the Saints and Manchester City should come away with three points.
