It’s not entirely surprising with the Blues sat second in the Premier League and the Saints in the bottom three.
Predictions
Here’s what’s been said this morning, starting with the always readable Mark Lawrenson…
BBC Sport: Lawro only sees one result
Lawro: “I did not know Ralph Hasenhuttl’s assistant, Danny Rohl, had left for a role with Bayern Munich over the summer.
“It might be a coincidence that Saints’ form has dropped away so badly since he left - but it might not be.
READ: Aguero:: ‘I couldn’t have joined a better club’
“Their 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester means the pressure is on Hasenhuttl to turn things around and his side’s defence has to be his priority.
“In total, Saints have conceded 17 goals in their past four games, which is not going to win them any prizes. A second trip to Etihad Stadium in the space of four days does not help much, either.
“Pep Guardiola will pick a stronger team this time, and I think Manchester City will win by a bigger margin than their 3-1 victory in the Carabao Cup in midweek. My prediction: 4-0.”
Next up, Sky Sports’ Charlie Nicholas...
Express: Nicholas tips big City win
“Charlie Nicholas is backing Manchester City to claim a thumping 5-0 win over Southampton at The Etihad in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
“The Citizens head into the game fresh from their 3-1 victory over the Saints in the League Cup fourth round on Tuesday night at The Etihad.
Southampton, meanwhile, have been left reeling after their record 9-0 defeat by Leicester City at St Mary’s last weekend, with the Saints currently 18th in the table and with a goal difference of -16.”
Opinion
Mail: Sterling’s changed game paying dividends
Martin Keown: “The Premier League has become a passing game and City move it simply and effectively, with Sterling a prime example of this. In 2013-14 and 2014-15 — his final two seasons at Liverpool — he was averaging 3.7 and 3.0 dribbles per game. He has never hit numbers like that for City and he is currently averaging 1.8 per game in 2019-20.
“This is not to say Sterling does not deliver moments of individual magic. He is capable of that. But his movement off the ball is lethal, as Aston Villa found out last week.
“Shown in our images above, in one of many City attacks down the left, Sterling decided against dribbling, despite being gifted the space to do so, and instead played it inside to David Silva before running behind to complete a one-two. He also loves drawing his marker in, receiving the ball, playing it back then running behind. His passing and movement off the ball have become such a threat for City. “
Team news
Read Southampton: Double boost for Saints
“As reported on Goal, Moussa Djenepo is back in full training after suffering an injury in September, whilst Sofiane Boufal suffered a minor problem in midweek at the Etihad which he has shrugged off.
“The game comes slightly too soon for Djenepo but Boufal will be hoping to feature. Hasenhuttl said:
‘They [Djenepo and Cedric] trained today for the first time with the team which is positive.
‘Moussa was very, very positive. He was immediately laughing. He has such a positive nature, it’s fantastic. Sofiane had a bit of a problem with his knee and Reddie had a tackle in the session which he felt on his knee, but they are both ok. Maybe two players back for the bench as an option.’
That’s all for this morning – tune into our Matchday Centre for live coverage on mancity.com from 1pm.
