Manchester City will look to continue their imperious march to the Premier League title when they visit Southampton on Saturday.
Pep Guardiola’s side have looked unstoppable this season and have notched up 12 straight victories in the league to take a commanding 11-point lead at the top. They have scored a whopping 54 goals this season while conceding a league-low 13.
Southampton, meanwhile, had a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions snapped by Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.
Ralph Hasehuettl’s side have struggled for consistency this season and find themselves in 12th place. They will not be relishing the prospect of facing the best team in Europe on current form.
City have lost just one of their last 12 matches against Southampton in all competitions, but were held to a goalless draw at the Etihad earlier this season.
Southampton vs Manchester City Team News
Southampton
Southampton will be without the key trio of Will Smallbone, Tino Livramento and Alex McCarthy, but Theo Walcott and Mohamed Elyounoussi could make a return to the side after recovering from COVID-19.
❤️ MATCHDAY 🖤
It's time to take on league leaders #ManCity at St Mary's 😇 pic.twitter.com/WqqT1h53CL
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) January 22, 2022
Moussa Djenepo is unavailable due to international duty.
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola confirmed that Cole Palmer and Oleksandr Zinchenko are unavailable for this clash, but Nathan Ake has returned to training and is in contention to start.
Ruben Dias was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up against Chelsea, but he could return for this game at the expense of John Stones.
Riyad Mahrez has returned after Algeria were knocked out of the AFCON, but he is expected to be given some time off before being reinstated into the squad.
That matchday feeling! 💫#ManCity pic.twitter.com/NLD3UImc89
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 22, 2022
Southampton vs Manchester City Predicted Lineups
Southampton predicted lineup (3-5-2): Forster; Bednarek, Lyanco, Salisu; Walker-Peters, Diallo, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Perraud; Adams, Broja
Manchester City predicted lineup (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Laporte, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, B. Silva; Jesus, Foden, Grealish
Southampton vs Manchester City Key Players
Southampton – James Ward-Prowse
Ward-Prowse has been Southampton’s best player this season, scoring six goals and providing five assists. Southampton are unlikely to see much of the ball against the champions, meaning the onus will be on Ward-Prowse to deliver from set-pieces whenever he gets the chance.
Manchester City – Kevin De Bruyne
The Belgian underlined his credentials as a game-changer with a sublime strike against Chelsea that earned City a 1-0 win last time out. De Bruyne has been plagued by injuries the last couple of seasons, but when fit, he’s inarguably the best creative midfielder in the league. With the Saints expected to get plenty of men behind the ball, De Bruyne will be tasked with unlocking their backline with his vision and passing range.
