Southampton vs. Manchester City | Premier League Preview

The Citizens finally recorded a victory in The Premier League. The Pep Guardiola’s players won against Hull City 3-1 at The Etihad Stadium. With the three points, they made a huge step towards a position in The Top 4, but they seem to be too far away from the first position in the standings. I think that the best they can achieve by the end of the season is the second place, but this will also be a very difficult task, as The Citizens are 7 points down from the second-placed Tottenham Hotspur.

On the other hand, Southampton have been unbeaten in their last 3 Premier League games, as The Saints recorded 2 consecutive victories. Obviously, they will finish in the first half of the table, but it’s almost impossible for them to find a place which secures a participation in the European club tournaments.

However, it’s always interesting when these two teams meet in a league match. The strengths have always been very equal. The Citizens have won 29 matches, while The Saints have recorded 31 victories. There have been 25 draws. Southampton have performed better against Manchester City when playing at The St. Mary’s Stadium. The Claude Puel’s team has won 20 and has lost 12 home games against The Citizens. These two teams have finished with a draw on 12 occasions.

To continue with, The Citizens haven’t recorded an away victory in their last 3 competitive matches. They lost to Monaco 1-3 in The Champions League. Then, Man City finished with a 2-2 draw against Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium, before losing 1-2 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 5th April 2017.

These two teams met in The Premier League earlier this season. The game at The Etihad Stadium finished with a 1-1 draw. Nathan Redmond opened the score in the 27th minute for The Saints, but the young talent Kelechi Iheanacho scored an equalizer shortly after the break. And even though The Citizens controlled the pace of the game, they couldn’t win the three points.

The explosive striker Manolo Gabbiadini is doubtful for the game. However, there is a chance he to return to the pitch against The Citizens. Gabbiadini received a groin injury about a month ago. The midfielder Oriol Romeu is suspended, as he has been booked on 10 occasions this season. In addition, Virgil van Dijk is still injured and will be sidelined. Except for Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus who are long term injured, only Bacary Sagna is going to miss the game through injury for Man City.