Manchester City eye three-game winning run as winless Southampton visits.

2024-10-20

After a dominating midweek performance in Europe, Manchester City return to the Etihad aiming to seize the Premier League's top spot as they take on a struggling Southampton side on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester City

Manchester City will return to domestic action after dismantling Sparta Praha in a 5-0 victory in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night. Erling Haaland contributed a brace to City's five-goal tally, leaving them in 4th place on the revamped UCL league-phase table. "The moment we broke the game for 2-0 it was fine," Pep said after the resounding victory.

The Sky Blues are back on domestic soil as the only unbeaten side in the competition, thanks to a hard-fought comeback 2-1 win over Wolves. With 20 points, 2nd-placed City (WDDWW) are just one point behind leaders Liverpool, who have 21 points.

Facing newly promoted Southampton at the weekend, City aim to seize the top spot, especially as Liverpool are set to face 3rd placed Arsenal (18 points) on Super Sunday. Pep will be hoping for a draw in that encounter. City's impressive 12-game unbeaten home record against the Saints (10W, 2D, 0L) should remain intact, given Southampton's challenging season.

An anticipated 4-1-4-1 formation will likely feature Erling Haaland, whose acrobatic goal played a vital role against Praha, leading the attack. "I saw it when the ball came in. It's unbelievable. His stature. So tall and so flexible," Pep remarked. However, Kyle Walker (thigh injury) and Kevin De Bruyne are unavailable, with Rodri ruled out for the rest of the season.

Southampton

Southampton remain one of the four teams in the Premier League yet to secure a victory. Over the weekend, they squandered a two-goal lead and finished with ten men in a 3-2 defeat to fellow promoted side Leicester City.

Despite a winless start, manager Russell Martin has kept the backing of the club hierarchy, with the team currently holding just one point (0W, 1D, 7L). Martin expressed confidence in his job security, stating, ‘No, I don’t have fears about getting sacked,’ after a productive chat with the club owner Dragan Solak during a board meeting.

Southampton faces challenges with the league's second-worst defense, having conceded 18 goals so far. They hope to overcome their defensive issues as they prepare to face the league’s highest scorers, City, who have netted 19 goals. The Saints are expected to line up in a 4-5-1 formation with Cameron Archer leading the attack. Ryan Fraser, however, will be suspended for this fixture.