Southampton host Manchester City on Sunday afternoon and it is hard to say who the fixture means more to.
Man City are almost a certainty to finish runners up to already crowned champions Liverpool and the Saints look to be guaranteed Premier League football next season.
City have been scoring for fun since the restart, having netted the ball on 13 occasions in just four games since defeating Arsenal 3-0 on the 17th June. However, with the FA Cup and Champions League still up for grabs, Pep Guardiola will surely have one eye on the horizon.
For Southampton, it is now a question of just how many points can realistically be taken from the remaining fixtures to improve upon their current standing of 14th. Furthermore, one of their own is still contention for the golden boot with Danny Ings hot on the tails of current top scorers Jamie Vardy and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after a brace against Watford last weekend.
Previous meetings
For many Saints fans, the 6-1 thrashing to City back in November of 2018 will still haunt their past and with the recent 4-0 thrashing Man City gave champions Liverpool on Thursday, Southampton will not exactly be favourites come Sunday afternoon.
To add further insult to injury, Southampton have won just once in their last 10 meetings with Guardiola's side which came back in May of 2016. On that particular occasion where the hosts won 4-2, a certain Senegalese forward by the name of Sadio Mane scored his second Premier League hat-trick.
Results since the restart
Southampton:
28/06 Watford 1 - 3 Southampton
25/06 Southampton 0 - 2 Arsenal
19/06 Norwich 0 - 3 Southampton
It has been a season of all or nothing for Ralph Hassenhuttl’s side having drawn just four games all season – the lowest in the division. In their previous 12 games, Saints have won six and lost six.
Manchester City:
02/07 Manchester City 4 - 0 Liverpool
25/06 Chelsea 2 – 1 Manchester City
22/06 Manchester City 5 – 0 Burnley
17/06 Manchester City 3 – 0 Arsenal
The only saving grace for Southampton will be that Manchester City have lost consecutive away games in the league for the first time all season.
Team news
Sergio Aguero is still not fit due to a knee injury whilst there are doubts over Southampton’s Sofiane Boufal who has a thigh injury and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg who is still recovering from an ankle injury.
City really are on a purring run of form at the moment and despite the threat, Saints have in Danny Ings, it won’t be enough to keep Guardiola’s team at bay on Sunday evening.
Match Preview is written by Mat Ogley.
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