Manchester City’s next Premier League match sees them take on Southampton.
It’s been a busy period for Pep Guardiola’s side following the October international break.
After snatching a late winner to beat Wolves 2-1 at Molineux last weekend, City thrashed Sparta Prague 5-0 in the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium.
The Blues are back on home turf this weekend with a Premier League clash against Southampton, who are already fighting to get away from relegation danger.
Looking ahead to this game against Russel Martin’s side, let’s take a look at what Guardiola’s starting XI could look like.
Man City predicted lineup for Southampton clash
Having had a midweek break against Sparta – with Stefan Ortega in action – it seems likely that Ederson will make a return to the team for this match.
At right-back, with Kyle Walker still out injured, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Rico Lewis start what would be his eighth match of the campaign on Saturday.
Wednesday’s match against Sparta saw Ruben Dias drop out and Manuel Akanji come in after being an unused substitute against Wolves.
For this game against the Saints, Guardiola could swap Dias for John Stones so the Englishman doesn’t start three matches in less than a week.
Another defensive change the 53-year-old may look to make is by bringing Josko Gvardiol – who City paid £77m to sign back in 2023 – back in for Nathan Ake after the Dutchman made his return from injury in midweek.
Moving onto the midfield, Ilkay Gundogan is likely to keep his place in the team, as is Bernardo Silva to help give some strength and experience in the middle of the pitch.
Having started the Sparta game on the bench, Mateo Kovacic is likely to be back in the starting XI, as he has been for all but one of City’s league matches this season.
Another change Guardiola should make on this occasion is giving James McAtee his first Premier League start of the season.
After the Sparta game, Guardiola suggested that he doesn’t give Matheus Nunes as many minutes as he deserves.
With the 26-year-old scoring one goal and delivering two assists in midweek, he should also be given his first league start of the campaign against Southampton alongside McAtee.
Finally, with two goals scored in midweek, this upcoming match will be an ideal opportunity for Erling Haaland – who Guardiola likened to Zlatan Ibrahimovic in midweek – to end his Premier League goal drought and fire his side to another victory.
Predicted Man City XI vs Southampton: Ederson, Lewis, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Gundogan, Silva, McAtee, Nunes, Haaland
