Southampton vs. Man City: Preview, Predictions and Lineups | OneFootball

Manchester City can take another step towards next season's Champions League when they visit bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Saturday.

Four wins on the bounce for Pep Guardiola's side means they occupy third in the Premier League table with just three games to go. Their late-season surge combined with Arsenal's malaise has many tipping the Cityzens for a second-place finish, which would be pretty remarkable given how they ended 2024.

City have been made to work for their two previous league victories, with Aston Villa and Wolves performing well at the Etihad but succumbing to one-goal defeats. A Kevin De Bruyne strike helped them past Vitor Pereira's in-form Wolves last time out.

Southampton missed a golden chance to steer clear of Derby County's all-time low Premier League points tally when they visited Leicester last week, but Simon Rusk's Saints were firmly second best in a 2-0 defeat.

Relegated for over a month, Southampton supporters are desperate to get to 2025-26.

Here is Sports Illustrated's guide to the clash.

What Time Does Southampton vs. Man City Kick-Off?

Southampton vs. Man City Head-to-Head Record (Last Five Games)

Current Form (All Competitions)

How to Watch Southampton vs. Man City on TV

Southampton Team News

Simon Rusk is in interim charge of the Saints / IMAGO / Colorsport

Paul Onuachu featured off the bench at Leicester last weekend having recovered from an ankle injury, and the towering striker is likely to return to Rusk's XI on Saturday. Ross Stewart will drop to the bench.

January arrival Albert Gronbaek remains sidelined with an Achilles injury, while Charlie Taylor is out due to a hip issue.

The well-regarded Tyler Dibling has struggled for starts under the interim boss, and the teenager is set for another cameo appearance off the bench against the Cityzens.

Southampton Predicted Lineup vs. Man City

Southampton predicted lineup vs. Man City (3-4-2-1): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens; Walker-Peters, Downes, Ugochukwu, Manning; Fernandes, Sulemana; Onuachu.

Man City Team News

Rodri (R) is back in Man City training / IMAGO / Action Plus

Erling Haaland was back on the Man City bench for their slender victory over Wolves but didn't feature. He should play a role on Saturday, but the Nordic goal machine is unlikely to return to Guardiola's starting XI right away given City's recent success.

Rodri is back in training and may well play a part before the season draws to a close. Guardiola will want to have the Spanish midfielder fully fit for the Club World Cup in June. Nathan Ake is also closing in on a comeback.

John Stones and Oscar Bobb remain out injured for the visitors.

Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Southampton

Man City predicted lineup vs. Southampton (4-2-3-1): Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, Gundogan; Savinho, De Bruyne, Doku; Marmoush.

Southampton vs. Man City Score Prediction

Last week's defeat at the King Power was another reminder of just how poor this Southampton team are, and although they only lost slenderly at the Etihad back in October, the hosts are going to succumb again on Saturday.

Man City aren't a team capable of blitzing past opponents despite their excellent run of form, but they'll be able to bypass the Saints without veering beyond first gear on the south coasts.

Expect lots of City passes and a couple of goals in a comfortable victory.