It’s a tough ask for the basement club Southampton to get anything from this game against second placed Manchester City on Saturday. The hosts are bottom of the Premier League and four points adrift of safety zone ahead of this round. Southampton may be bottom of the table but with only seven points separating teams from 12th to 20th, the race to avoid the drop is getting tighter. The Saints will look at the fact that only four points separate them from 15th-placed West Ham which means a couple of good results will get them out of danger. Yet, recent form doesn’t live up to those expectations as Southampton have won only one of their last seven matches in all competitions. Even their home form isn’t immune to poor results as they lost six of their last eight Premier League matches here, casting a shadow over their chances.
The visitors start the weekend eight points behind leaders Arsenal but with a game in hand.Manchester City have won nine of their last 12 Premier League matches against Southampton losing only once, so they should travel confidently for this trip. Pep Guardiola’s side are keeping their slim chances of catching Arsenal alive with seven wins from their last seven competitive matches. Although there’s a Champions League quarter-final match against Bayern Munich to worry about, City are unlikely to take their foot off the pedal. Six wins from their last seven Premier League matches have helped them stay in touch with the leaders Arsenal, although at this stage they can’t even afford a draw. Erling Haaland is expected to return to the side after missing last weekend's game against Liverpool.