Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Southampton: Premier League | OneFootball

Four Premier League wins on the bounce not only means Manchester City are in an excellent position to play Champions League football next season, but they're now some people's favourites to finish in second place.

Arsenal's domestic malaise combined with City's upsurge means Pep Guardiola's men are now just three points adrift with three games to play. With the Gunners facing Liverpool and Newcastle in their next two outings, there's certainly a chance for City to remarkably end 2024-25 as runners-up.

Having struggled to mitigate Rodri's absence for a chunk of the season, Guardiola has expertly tiptoed around the goal-scoring void left by Erling Haaland up top. The Norwegian striker was back on the bench last Friday, and the boss will want to gradually increase Haaland's involvement ahead of the FA Cup final.

Here's how City could line up for Saturday's Premier League clash at Southampton.

Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Southampton (4-2-3-1)

Kevin De Bruyne scored the all-important goal last time out against Wolves / IMAGO / Every Second Media

GK: Ederson — The Brazilian will be hoping for a quiet afternoon between the posts, with City facing the lowest scorers in the division this weekend.

RB: Matheus Nunes — Nunes has cemented himself as City's starting right-back since Kyle Walker departed in January, with Rico Lewis being preferred higher up the pitch.

CB: Ruben Dias — Dias has the towering Paul Onuachu to deal with on Saturday, although he'll hope the Saints striker has few opportunities to do any damage in the box.

CB: Josko Gvardiol — The marauding left-back from last season has returned to a more familiar role in recent weeks, and has shone at the heart of City's defence.

LB: Nico O'Reilly — O'Reilly's emergence has allowed Gvardiol to tuck inside, with the academy graduate blossoming into a star down City's left.

CM: Nico Gonzalez — The January arrival has been in and out of the team since joining the club, and who knows how big of a role he'll play once Rodri is back fit. Gonzalez should get 90 minutes here.

CM: Ilkay Gundogan — Gundogan's enjoying a strong end to the season and will enjoy another year with the Cityzens after an extension in his contract was triggered in April. He could start alongside Gonzalez on Saturday but still have a noticeable impact in the final third.

RW: Savinho — Guardiola can afford to go pretty gung-ho considering the calibre of the opposition. Savinho hasn't been too prominent during the second half of the season, but he could return to the team at St. Mary's after failing to come off the bench against Wolves.

AM: Kevin De Bruyne — City's match-winner last time out, De Bruyne has just a few games left in sky blue. The Belgian is fittingly performing well at the end of his tenure in Manchester after a tough season.

LW: Jeremy Doku — Doku played a key role in City's two most recent league victories, and he should retain his place down the left here.

ST: Omar Marmoush — Marmoush has been doing plenty of drifting in Haaland's absence, with De Bruyne tasked with filling the central void when the Egyptian floats wide. Marmoush is poised to continue in the team despite Haaland's return.