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Manchester City will aim to bounce back to winning ways when they travel to Southampton this Saturday in the Premier League.
St. Mary's, which has seen far more joy than it has in previous seasons, is set to witness Ralph Hasenhuttl and his team's attempts to remain in the top four.
The Cityzens head into this crucial encounter on the back of consecutive draws, with the last one unfolding against West Bromwich Albion at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City's struggles in front of goal have underlined their struggles this season, as they have only netted 18 goals in 12 matches thus far.
Meanwhile, the Saints are soaring with seven wins in 13 matches. They have translated moments of brilliance into goals, while there is an impression of improved character down the south coast of the country.
A win for Southampton would take them to second place.
Also read: Newcastle United vs Fulham prediction, preview, team news and more | Premier League 2020-21
Southampton vs Manchester City head-to-head
All in all, Manchester City have 36 wins against Southampton, while the Saints have 32. A total of 25 games between the two teams have finished as draws.
Che Adams' goal the last time these teams met in a 1-0 win at St. Mary's will bring about a sense of confidence.
Southampton form guide (Premier League): D-W-W-L-D
Manchester City form guide (Premier League): D-D-W-W-L
Southampton vs Manchester City team news
Southampton
Southampton have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, and they're likely to field the same starting XI that earned a point against under-fire Arsenal.
The likes of Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond, who can create something through their tricky dribbling, are pushing for starting spots.
Injured: None
Doubtful: None
Suspended/unavailable: None
Manchester City
Amidst a goalscoring crisis, it'll be interesting to see if Pep Guardiola hands a start to Manchester City's talismanic forward Sergio Aguero.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Eric Garcia are sidelined due to injuries, while John Stones could return to the starting XI in place of Nathan Ake. Joao Cancelo may move to left-back in order to accommodate Kyle Walker down the opposite side of defence.
Injured: Oleksandr Zinchenko, Eric Garcia
Doubtful: None
Suspended/unavailable: None
Southampton vs Manchester City probable XI
Southampton predicted XI (4-4-2): Alex McCarthy; Kyle Walker-Peters, Jan Bednarek, Jannik Vestergaard, Ryan Bertrand; Theo Walcott, James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu, Stuart Armstrong; Che Adams, Danny Ings
Manchester City predicted XI (4-3-3): Ederson; Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo; Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin de Bruyne; Riyad Mahrez, Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling
Southampton vs Manchester City match prediction
Southampton will look to stay compact and not over commit on the sides, as Manchester City's slick passing on either flank could unlock their defence.
Instead, they'll rely on set-pieces through Bednarek and Vestergaard, while the wingers pose a counter-attacking threat.
Manchester City will have to grind it out, but will return with all three points.
Prediction: Southampton 0-2 Manchester City
Also read: Athletic Bilbao vs SD Huesca prediction, preview, team news and more | La Liga 2020-21
