Man City vs Southampton preview, predictions & possible XIs
For the second time in a matter of days, Manchester City and Southampton will go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s men eased past the Saints by a 3-1 scoreline in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, yet Ralph Hasenhuttl will have been relatively pleased with that margin of defeat after losing 9-0 to Leicester in their previous outing.
Still, City have the potential to turn it on once again on Saturday, and their recent results against Southampton suggest Hasenhuttl may be in for another hiding.
Read on for our preview, predictions, team news, ones to watch and more.
When is Man City vs Southampton and where can I watch live?
Competition: Premier League
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Date: Saturday, 2 November 2019
Kick-off: 3:00 PM (UK time)
TV coverage (UK): N/A
Last five meetings: Man City vs Southampton
29 October 2019: Man City 3-1 Southampton (League Cup)
30 December 2018: Southampton 1-3 Man City (Premier League)
4 November 2018: Man City 6-1 Southampton (Premier League)
13 May 2018: Southampton 0-1 Man City (Premier League)
29 November 2017: Man City 2-1 Southampton 1 (Premier League)
Aggregate Score: Man City (WWWWW) 15-4 Southampton (LLLLL)
Ones to watch
Man City: Raheem Sterling
It could be argued that Raheem Sterling is the most unplayable footballer in the Premier League right now. His performance in last weekend’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa was stunning, and the England forward will be expected to pick up where he left off here. If Sterling is on it, Southampton could be in for a long, long afternoon, particularly down their right side.
Key stat: Sterling has attempted more shots (29) and had more touches (99) inside the box than any Premier League player this season.
Southampton: Danny Ings
Southampton relied on defender Jack Stephens to score their goal at the Etihad on Tuesday. If they have any hope of snatching something this weekend, they will need their attacking players to show up, especially Danny Ings. The striker is the only Southampton player who has really been among the goals this season, so he simply must be on his game.
Key stat: Other than Ings (4), only one Southampton player has scored more than one goal in the Premier League this season (Moussa Djenepo, 2).
Team news
Man City
Fernandinho returns from suspension and could start next to John Stones at centre-back, although Nicolas Otamendi was on the scoresheet in midweek and could be rewarded with a place in the team again.
Angelino picked up a knock during the midweek Carabao Cup clash and will likely be left out of the matchday squad. Rodri, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane all remain sidelined with injuries.
Predicted XI: Ederson; Cancelo, Fernandinho, Stones, Mendy; Gundogan, De Bruyne, D Silva; B Silva, Aguero, Sterling.
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Southampton
Cedric Soares and Moussa Djenepo were not ready to return in midweek and will miss out again through injury. Ryan Bertrand is suspended.
Hasenhuttl will have to decide whether to stick with the team that conceded just three times on Tuesday or recall some of those who suffered humiliation against Leicester.
Predicted XI: McCarthy; Valery, Danso, Stephens, Bednarek; Romeu, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong; Redmond; Ings.
Squawka prediction
It’s impossible to picture anything other than a convincing Manchester City win here. Unless they can get something on the counter, Southampton’s task will be to shut up shop. If they do that successfully, they may be able to keep the hosts down to three goals again.
Scoreline prediction: Man City 3-0 Southampton
