Match Pack: Saints vs Man City

THE MATCH

Saints vs Man City
Premier League
St Mary’s Stadium
Saturday 8th April, 5.30pm BST

THE OFFICIALS

Referee: Robert Jones
Assistants: Ian Hussin, Marc Perry
Fourth official: Craig Pawson
VAR: John Brooks
Assistant VAR: Harry Lennard

HOW TO WATCH?

The Saturday night kick off will be shown live on Sky Sports for UK subscription holders.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Both teams head into the weekend needing points at opposite ends of the table.

After defeat last time out to West Ham, Rubén Sellés’s side need to respond to ensure the four-point gap to safety doesn’t get any bigger, while City need to keep the pressure on leaders Arsenal at the top.

Saints will take encouragement from their last outing against Pep Guardiola’s side, claiming a 2-0 win in the Carabao Cup back in January. However, the reigning champions head to the south cost in imperious form, registering seven straight wins and scoring 17 goals in their last three games alone.

TEAM NEWS

Saints will still be without Ché Adams and Mohammed Salisu, who also missed the trip to West Ham through injury. Armel Bella-Kotchap is a doubt while Tino Livramento continues to regain fitness in first team training. 

For the visitors, Phil Foden will miss out following appendix surgery, although City are likely to be able to call upon top scorer Erling Haaland, who was absent last weekend in the 4-1 win over Liverpool.

THE MANAGERSRubén Sellés: "I see a team that wants to do things, wants to work hard. It’s a positive environment and we didn’t have victory in the last four games but we had some good performances, we were close in some games, but we keep going."

Pep Guardiola: To follow.

ONES TO WATCHRoméo Lavia: The teenager has been a consistent performer in the middle of the park and could hold the key for Saints both defensively and offensively.

Coming up against his former employers, the Belgium international will need to disrupt City’s free-flowing midfield, while his eye for a pass could unlock the visitors’ rear-guard action.

Jack Grealish: Involved in eight goals in the Premier League since the restart in December, Grealish is in his richest vein of form in a City shirt.

With a goal and an assist last time out against Liverpool, the 27-year-old heads to St Mary’s brimming with confidence.

TOP PERFORMERS

Southampton

Goals:
Ché Adams 10
James Ward-Prowse 9
Romain Perraud 4

Assists:
Adams, Ward-Prowse, Mara 3
Perraud, Elyounoussi 2

Man City

Goals:
Erling Haaland 42
Foden, Álvarez 13
Riyad Mahrez 12

Assists:
Kevin De Bruyne 20
Mahrez, Grealish 8
Rodri 6

HEAD TO HEAD

Played: 100
Saints: 33
Draws: 27
Man City: 40

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

January 2023: Saints 2-0 Man City (Mara, Djenepo)
October 2022: Man City 4-0 Saints
March 2022: Saints 1-4 Man City (Laporte OG) FA Cup
January 2022: Saints 1-1 Man City (Walker-Peters)
September 2021: Man City 0-0 Saints

DID YOU KNOW?

- Since a Danny Ings penalty in December 2020, James Ward-Prowse has scored each of Southampton’s last 16 Premier League penalty and direct free-kick goals combined (8 pens, 8 DFKs). In Premier League history, the only player to have a longer such run for a team was Matt Le Tissier for Saints between 1992 and 1995 (20 in a row).

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