Last weekend, City eked out a 2-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, then breezed to a 5-0 Champions League win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday. Phil Foden opened the scoring in the third minute, and in a dynamic second half, Haaland scored twice—once with an impressive backheel volley—alongside goals from John Stones and a late penalty by Matheus Nunes.
This win lifted City to third in the Champions League table, where they made history by going 26 games unbeaten in the competition, surpassing Manchester United's record. Though they face Sporting Lisbon in early November, the immediate focus is on the Premier League, where an undefeated City team stands second with 17 points. A victory over Southampton will place them at the top before Liverpool takes on Arsenal on Sunday.
City, enjoying their longest unbeaten run in the Premier League at 31 games, come into this match with confidence, having won 10 of their last 13 league games against Southampton and remaining undefeated in their last 12 home matches against them at the Etihad.
Southampton, meanwhile, is struggling. Sitting in 19th place with just one point, they are one of four teams yet to win after eight games—a first in English top-flight history. Last weekend, they led Leicester City 2-0 by halftime, thanks to Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo, but a dramatic second-half comeback left them with a 3-2 loss. Head coach Russell Martin is under pressure as Southampton’s winless streak hits 21 games, but reports indicate he still has the support of the club.
With only three points keeping them from safety, Southampton heads into Saturday’s game hoping to avoid their worst league start since 1998-99. The Saints have beaten City only once in their last 14 Premier League clashes—a 1-0 win at home in July 2020—and haven’t won at the Etihad since 2004.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Man City will be missing several key players, with Jack Grealish (knock) and Jeremy Doku (muscle) now sidelined, joining an injury list that already includes Rodri (ACL), Oscar Bobb (leg fracture), Kevin De Bruyne (groin), and Kyle Walker (knee). With limited options, Guardiola isn’t able to rotate his squad as much as he might like for Saturday’s match, but he’s expected to bring back first-team regulars like Ederson, Josko Gvardiol, and Mateo Kovacic.After an impressive midweek performance with a goal and two assists, Matheus Nunes could get another start in an adjusted role on the left wing, with Savinho on the right. Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva are likely to play advanced midfield roles just behind Erling Haaland up front.
Southampton will also be missing a few players. Ryan Fraser (suspended), Gavin Bazunu (Achilles), Ross Stewart (muscle), and William Smallbone (hamstring) are all unavailable, while Yukinari Sugawara is a doubt after an early exit against Leicester. On the bright side, Jack Stephens is back after serving a five-match suspension and could join Jan Bednarek and former City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis in central defense.
In midfield, Joe Aribo is set to team up with Flynn Downes and Mateus Fernandes, while promising forward Tyler Dibling may join striker Cameron Archer, who has scored twice in his last two Premier League appearances, to lead the Saints’ attack.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Manchester City possible starting lineup:Ederson; Stones, Dias, Gvardiol; Lewis, Kovacic; Savinho, Bernardo, Foden, Nunes; Haaland
Southampton possible starting lineup:
Ramsdale; Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis; Walker-Peters, Aribo, Downes, Fernandes, Manning; Dibling, Archer
EXPERT PREDICTION
Manchester City 5-1 Southampton
Despite missing a few star players, Guardiola's side is still heavily favored to win and shouldn’t have too much trouble outscoring Southampton as they aim to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League.
