EPL: Saints ambush Citizens

EPL: Saints ambush Citizens
Southampton vs. Man City
Venue: St Mary’s stadium
Kick off: 3:15PM

Manchester City will be looking to bounce back from successive Premier League defeats when they take on Southampton at St Mary’s this afternoon.
The champions have slipped down to third in the table as a result of their dip in form, while Southampton are just three points clear of the relegation zone.
Just three weeks ago Man City were being mentioned as one of the greatest teams England has ever seen, and even Liverpool’s relentless form was being overshadowed by Pep Guardiola’s defending champions.
However, three defeats in their last four league games – as many as they had suffered in their previous 70 – have changed the whole landscape of the league to leave City third and now nine points adrift of leaders Liverpool.
Playing catch-up is not something these City players are used to doing; at the halfway stage of last season they were already 13 points clear at the top of the table having incredibly dropped just two points from their opening 19 games.
Now, though, it is Liverpool who are streaking clear at the top and next Thursday’s showdown against the Reds at the Etihad Stadium – Man City’s first game of 2019 – is suddenly a must-win one for the champions.
City will still be favourites to return to winning ways against their relegation-threatened hosts, but having gone almost a full year without losing to a team outside the established top six, the last two results will have given every team belief that the champions can be toppled.
Further encouragement will be drawn from City’s recent away record, which has seen them win just one of their last five games inside normal time across all competitions, including the Boxing Day defeat at the King Power Stadium.
Southampton however will be glad to see the back of 2018 – a year which has seen them pick up just six Premier League wins heading into their final game against City.
Such poor form saw them dragged into a relegation battle last season, and they are in the midst of another so far this term having won just three of their opening 19 games – only Huddersfield Town and Fulham have won fewer.
Two of those victories have come in four games under new boss Ralph Hasenhuttl, though, and there has been a definite improvement since the Austrian took charge earlier this month.
Defeats to Cardiff City and West Ham United suggest that there is still plenty more work to be done, but Hasenhuttl has already steered the Saints to successive league wins for the first time since April 2017, including a victory over Arsenal.
That win over the Gunners ended a 29-match winless streak against teams from the established top six, which will give them encouragement going into a double-header against Man City and Chelsea either side of the New Year.
Southampton have also scored seven league goals in their four games under Hasenhuttl, which is the same number as they managed in their 10 previous outings.
Having improved the attacking output, next on Hasenhuttl’s list will be defensive work as his side go in search of a first clean sheet in 10 matches, although it would take some effort to earn that against the division’s highest scorers this afternoon.

Southampton possible XI: McCarthy, Bednarek, Yoshuida, Vestergaard, Valery, Hojbjerg, Romeu, Targett, Redmond, Ings, Armstrong.
Man City possible XI: Ederson, Walker, Otamendi, Laporte, Zinchenko, De Bruyne, Gundogan, D Silva,  Mahrez, Aguero, Sterling.