Man City vs Southampton
Venue: Etihad Stadium
Kick off: 3pm
Manchester City and Southampton will bring their Premier League seasons to a close when they meet at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday (today).
The Citizens have failed to defend their title in a disappointing campaign, while the Saints need three points to ensure European football.
Despite heading for a second-place finish in the league, it has been a relatively poor season for Manchester City, who have failed to win a trophy and are facing an uncertain summer ahead.
They came into the campaign with high hopes of winning the Premier League for a second consecutive season, and despite a patchy start, they found themselves level with Chelsea at the top of the table on New Year’s Day.
However, that proved to be as good as it would get for them, as their form took a dip for the worse in January and enabled the Blues to open up a seven-point lead over them by the end of January, as Jose Mourinho’s side eventually romped to the title.
While City have underachieved this season, the same cannot be said of Southampton, who suffered the loss of manager Mauricio Pochettino and a number of key players last summer.
There was huge unrest and some even tipped the Saints to be relegated, but Ronald Koeman was appointed as their new boss and he made a number of crucial signings to replace the likes of Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw, who had left for big-money fees.
The Saints then stayed in the hunt for a Champions League place until March, before their form trailed off and left them unable to secure a spot in the top four, but they could still earn a berth in next season’s Europa League.
They are currently seventh in the table, and if Aston Villa lose in the FA Cup final to Arsenal, then it will be enough to secure a European place. However, should Villa win that match, then only the fifth- and sixth-placed teams will quality.
To be entirely sure of getting into the Europa League, Southampton need to beat Manchester City and hope that Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur fail to win their matches against Stoke City and Everton. They could even finish in sixth place if Tottenham lose and they pick up a point at the Etihad.
Manchester City possible starting lineup: Hart, Zabaleta, Demichelis, Mangala, Kolarov, Fernandinho, Milner, Toure, Lampard, Silva, Aguero.
Southampton possible starting lineup: Gazzaniga, Clyne, Fonte, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Wanyama, Davis, Ward-Prowse, Mane, Long, Pelle.