Manchester City vs. Southampton: Team News, Preview, Live Stream & TV Info

Manchester City go into the final match of the season against Southampton safe in the knowledge they have secured a second-place finish in this year's Barclays Premier League. 

Their 4-2 win over Swansea last weekend, coupled with Arsenal taking just a point from their last two games, means City can't be overtaken, regardless of this weekend's results. 

They go into the match at the Etihad on a five-match winning run, a sequence of results that has eased the pressure on manager Manuel Pellegrini, whose position was under scrutiny after his side's title collapse at the turn of the year. 

Southampton, who sit seventh going into the final day, remain hopeful of securing a place in next season's Europa League.

They need to overtake either Tottenham or Liverpool to realise their dream. It would complete a fine season for manager Ronald Koeman. Last summer saw the Dutchman lose a number of his best players, but his side have impressed throughout the campaign. 

Date: Sunday, May 24

Kick-Off: 3 p.m. BST, 10 a.m. ET

TV Listings: NBC Sports Live Extra (US)

Live Stream: not available

Stu Forster/Getty Images

Form Guide (last five league matches)

City

Swansea 2-4 City 

City 6-0 QPR

Tottenham 0-1 City

City 3-2 Aston Villa

City 2-0 West Ham

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Southampton 

Southampton 6-1 Aston Villa 

Leicester 2-0 Southampton 

Sunderland 2-1 Southampton

Southampton 2-2 Tottenham 

Stoke City 2-1 Southampton

Predicted Formations

City (from): Caballero, Hart, Wright, Boyata, Clichy, Demichelis, Kolarov, Kompany, Mangala, Sagna, Zabaleta, Fernandinho, Fernando, Lampard, Milner, Navas, Silva, Toure, Aguero, Bony, Dzeko, Jovetic.

City are still without Samir Nasri, whose recovery from a groin problem is still not complete, but otherwise Pellegrini has a fully fit squad to choose from. 

Bleacher Report: Formation Builder

Southampton (from): K Davis, Gazzaniga, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Clyne, Fonte, Gape, Gardos, Targett, Yoshida, S Davis, Djuricic, Elia, Mane, McQueen, Reed, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Gallagher, Long, Pelle, Seager.

Southampton will be without Morgan Schneiderlin (knee), Dusan Tadic (groin) and Jay Rodriguez (knee), although the latter will travel with the squad but play no part in the match. 

Bleacher Report: Formation Builder

Players to Watch 

City: Frank Lampard 

This game will see the curtain come down on one of the most glittering careers in the Premier League era. Frank Lampard will leave City at the end of the season to join up with his new teammates at New York City FC, having contributed significantly to the season. 

He won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League during his time at Chelsea, and he has managed to leave an impression at City after just one year. He scored vital goals against Chelsea, Hull, Leicester and Sunderland, and demonstrated emphatically the technical quality he still possesses. 

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

Southampton: Sadio Mane 

Fresh from scoring the fastest hat trick in Premier League history last weekend against Aston Villa, Sadio Mane will be the player City will be most keen to stop. He bagged three goals in two minutes, 50 seconds against Tim Sherwood's men, a remarkable, almost unbelievable feat that will surely never be bettered. 

Mane's pace and movement on the left-hand side if Southampton's attack has caused opponents all sorts of problems this season, linking up brilliantly at times with Graziano Pelle, who leads the attack. 

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Key Battle: Sergio Aguero vs. Jose Fonte 

Southampton's Player of the Season for the last campaign, Jose Fonte, has established himself as a key player at St Mary's and has been one of their most consistent performers since moving to the club from Crystal Palace back in 2010. At £1.2 million, he's proven to be something of a bargain. 

However, there's no harder task for Premier League defenders than trying to keep Sergio Aguero quiet. It's been another season disrupted by injury, but 25 league goals—31 in all competitions—tells its own story. He's the most lethal finisher in the business. 

Steve Bardens/Getty Images

Odds (via Odds Shark)

City: -185

Southampton: +450

Draw: +350

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.