Southampton vs. Manchester City: Team News, Live Stream, TV Info, Ticket News
Manchester City sit fourth in the Premier League table, three points behind Arsenal in third and five above West Ham United and Manchester United, who are fifth and sixth respectively.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side has three more games to secure a top-four finish and ensure UEFA Champions League football for next season.
Southampton are City’s next opponents, and three points would go a long way toward confirming the Blues’ status as a top-four side for the sixth season in succession.
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They will no doubt have one eye on their Champions League semi-final with Real Madrid on Wednesday, though. City drew 0-0 with the Spanish giants at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday and travel to Madrid in a strong position to qualify for the final in Milan later in May.
Pellegrini believes a win over Southampton at St Mary’s is the best way to prepare for their crucial second leg.
"The best way to make a good game on Wednesday [against Real Madrid] is to win on Sunday and have trust in the performance of different players,” he said. "Our mind is the same, to continue trying to win all our games and have a spot in the Champions League for next year and be as near the top of the table as we can."
Date: Sunday, May 1
Kick-off: 4:30 p.m. BST/11:30 a.m. ET
TV Listings: Sky Sports 1/HD (UK) and NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.)
Live Stream: See tweet below for full details
"Want to watch #saintsvcity? Check out our global TV listings!
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) April 29, 2016"
📺 https://t.co/LnRqr6K8Ep #mcfc pic.twitter.com/nA3M2T0YbI
Form Guide
Southampton
Aston Villa 2-4 Southampton
Everton 1-1 Southampton
Southampton 3-1 Newcastle United
Leicester City 1-0 Southampton
Southampton 3-2 Liverpool
Manchester City
Manchester City 0-0 Real Madrid (Champions League)
Manchester City 4-0 Stoke City
Newcastle United 1-1 Manchester City
Chelsea 0-3 Manchester City
Manchester City 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain (Champions League)
Predicted Teams
Southampton
Manager Ronald Koeman could welcome back Graziano Pelle after he missed the Saints' previous game with Aston Villa. Charlie Austin is back in training after hamstring trouble and could be involved.
Southampton (from): Kelvin Davis, Fraser Forster, Paulo Gazzaniga, Maarten Stekelenburg, Ryan Bertrand, Cedric Soares, Jose Fonte, Cuco Martina, Matt Targett, Virgil van Dijk, Maya Yoshida, Jordy Clasie, Steven Davis, Sadio Mane, Oriol Romeu, Dusan Tadic, Victor Wanyama, James Ward-Prowse, Juanmi, Shane Long, Graziano Pelle and Jay Rodriguez.
Predicted XI: Forster; Cedric, Van Dijk, Fonte, Bertrand; Tadic, Romeu, Clasie, Mane; Long, Pelle.
"We spoke to @ryanbertrand3 to get his thoughts on tomorrow's clash with #MCFC and #SaintsFC's position in the table: https://t.co/32YMoIpeyf
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 30, 2016"
Manchester City
Pellegrini is without David Silva, who suffered a hamstring injury against Real Madrid and could be out for a fortnight. Yaya Toure trained this week—but he won't be involved. Samir Nasri is back and expected to play.
Manchester City (from): Willy Caballero, Joe Hart, Richard Wright, Gael Clichy, Martin Demichelis, Aleksandar Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Eliaquim Mangala, Nicolas Otamendi, Bacary Sagna, Pablo Zabaleta, Kevin De Bruyne, Fabian Delph, Fernandinho, Fernando, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas, Aleix Garcia, Manuel Garcia, Sergio Aguero, Wilfried Bony, Kelechi Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling and Bersant Celina.
Predicted XI: Hart; Zabaleta, Otamendi, Mangala, Kolarov; Fernando, Delph; Sterling, Iheanacho, Nasri; Bony.
"PELLEGRINI: “@21LVA has a small hamstring injury so he will not be fit for this week. He needs 2-3 weeks to recover.” #saintsvcity #mcfc
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) April 29, 201"
Players to Watch
Southampton: Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane will be a target for top clubs again this summer after another excellent season for Southampton.
He is a superb dribbler, the kind of player who can make things happen out of seemingly nothing. He needs constant attention.
He's strong, has quick feet, loves to run at defenders and can score goals.
Keeping him quiet is a must.
Manchester City: Samir Nasri
French midfielder Nasri has had an injury-affected season—yet he has shown since his comeback in April that he still possesses great quality.
Few in the City side can retain possession quite like Nasri. He has superb technique and is capable of controlling a game and dictating the tempo.
He was the man of the match in the recent win over West Bromwich Albion, scoring a superb goal and showing just what City were missing during his time out of the side.
Eleven appearances is all he has to show for this season so far. City have missed him badly.
Key Battle
Virgil van Dijk vs. Wilfried Bony
With City set to face Real Madrid on Wednesday in what is arguably the biggest match of their season, the likes of Sergio Aguero, Kevin De Bruyne and Vincent Kompany could be rested.
That gives a chance to City's fringe players. Wilfried Bony, who has been under fire for some poor performances, may be given a run out in what could be one of his last appearances for the club.
Bony, surely, will be shown the exit door this summer. His style is unsuited to City's and will be even less suited to incoming manager Pep Guardiola's approach. If he plays on Sunday, he will need to get the better of Virgil van Dijk, who's been in impressive form. He is a strong defender who enjoys the physical battle.
Can Bony give City fans a gift before his seemingly inevitable departure?
Ticket Information
For ticket information on all Premier League games, visit the league's official site or go to the ticket page on the home club's official website.
"#SaintsFC boss @RonaldKoeman on what to expect from #MCFC at St Mary's on Sunday: https://t.co/WiFiEtbb2H pic.twitter.com/1Cxkf4QEIi
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) April 30, 2016"
Odds
Southampton: +212
Manchester City: +125
Draw: +228
(via Odds Shark)
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.
