Southampton hit the road again in the Premier League as they take on Manchester City on Saturday (3pm BST). Get set for the encounter at Etihad Stadium with our Match Pack…
THE MATCH
Manchester City vs Southampton
Premier League
Etihad Stadium
Saturday 18th September, 3pm BST
THE OFFICIALS
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: Marc Perry, Timothy Wood
Fourth official: Peter Bankes
VAR: Martin Atkinson
Assistant VAR: Richard West
WHICH KIT WILL SAINTS BE WEARING?
Saints will be in their red, white and black home kit for the trip to Manchester.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Despite an opening day defeat at Tottenham, Manchester City have had an impressive start to the 2021/22 campaign, scoring 11 goals in their opening four matches.
Similarly, Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side have had a pick-up in form since defeat in matchday one at Goodison Park.
With three draws in their last three outings, Saints will be looking to finally pick up their first win in the league this season at the Etihad.
TEAM NEWS
Ralph Hasenhüttl confirmed that 21-year-old Will Smallbone is back in full team training this week after eight months on the sidelines following a series knee injury.
He’s pushing for a return to action alongside striker Shane Long, who recently tested positive for COVID-19 so missed last weekend’s draw with West Ham.
Elsewhere, Theo Walcott and Stuart Armstrong remain out for the trip to the Champions on Saturday.
City could be without two key defensive assets in John Stones and Aymeric Laporte, both of which returned from international duty with injuries that still keep them out, the latter's worsened by his involvement against Leicester last weekend.
Phil Foden is also a doubt as the young England international continues to recover from an injury which kept him out of the EURO 2020 final in the summer.
THE MANAGERS
Pep Guardiola: "They played against United at home really well and deserved to win. One of the toughest games we had last season was against Southampton. We won at home 5-2, but the first 30 mins they were the team that caused us most problems last season.
"I know Ralph. It will be a similar game to Leipzig. They move quick in the transitions, the team know what they have to do."
Ralph Hasenhüttl: “To surprise Pep is quite hard, because he always finds the answers. But our goal is to keep the game open as long as possible.
“I know Pep will come with everything they have it will be tough to compete. But we have also some qualities and we must believe in what we are doing. We want to be a nasty team to play against, and then you need luck and the ball in the right moments.”
ONES TO WATCH
Jack Grealish: Grealish made headlines this summer as he made a big money move from boyhood club Aston Villa to Manchester.
Always a threat on the attack, the 26-year-old midfielder added to his impressive start to life at his new side during the week with a goal on his Champions League debut against RB Leipzig.
Mohammed Salisu: The Ghanaian youngster has made a huge impact for Ralph Hasenhüttl’s side so far this season, playing a pivotal role in Saints’ unbeaten run since their opening day defeat at Everton.
After having overcome the challenge of Michail Antonio last week, Salisu will have his hands full once again at the Etihad against a side who have scored at least five goals in their last three home games.
TOP PERFORMERS
Manchester City:
Goals:
Jesus, Grealish, Mahrez, Torres 2
Gündogan, Sterling, Aké, Laporte, Silva, Rodri, Cancelo 1
Assists:
Gabriel Jesus 3
Grealish, Dias 2
Mahrez, Torres, Gündogan 1
Southampton:
Goals:
Mohamed Elyounoussi 4
Armando Broja 2
Ward-Prowse, Redmond, Walker-Peters, Tella, A. Armstrong 1
Assists:
Elyounoussi, Ward-Prowse 2
Redmond, Walker-Peters, Adams 1
HEAD TO HEAD
Played: 95
Man City: 38
Draws: 25
Saints: 32
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
March 2021: Man City 5-2 Saints (Ward-Prowse, Adams)
December 2020: Saints 0-1 Man City
July 2020: Saints 1-0 Man City (Adams)
November 2019: Man City 2-1 Saints (Ward-Prowse)
October 2019: Man City 3-1 Saints (Stephens)
DID YOU KNOW?
- Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse has scored in his last two away league games against Man City, doing so in November 2019 and March 2021. The last player to score in three consecutive Premier League away games against Man City was Tim Cahill, doing so between 2008 and 2010.
KEEP UP TO DATE
We’ve got you covered! We’ll bring you all of the action from Etihad Stadium, as well as a host of behind-the-scenes access.
Check out our interactive match centre at southamptonfc.com, with all of the live in-game updates and free audio commentary of the match, and be sure to follow us on social media for further updates and exclusive content:
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