Man City can take a huge step towards Champions League qualification this weekend.
Pep Guardiola’s men travel to St Mary’s Stadium to face bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Saturday afternoon as City look to extend their unbeaten run to 10 matches.
Chris Sutton has been impressed with Man City’s recent momentum, with the BBC pundit joining Gary Neville in predicting a City win against the Saints, which will go a long way in helping them finish in the top five, especially with their rivals playing each other over the weekend.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 35 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 81 | 35 | 46 | 82 |
| 2 |  ArsenalArsenal | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 64 | 31 | 33 | 67 |
| 3 |  Man CityManchester City | 35 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 67 | 43 | 24 | 64 |
| 4 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 35 | 19 | 6 | 10 | 66 | 45 | 21 | 63 |
| 5 |  ChelseaChelsea | 35 | 18 | 9 | 8 | 62 | 41 | 21 | 63 |
With the FA Cup final taking place next weekend at Wembley, many are interested to see what team Guardiola will start, and the Spanish coach has opened the door to include a £51m talent in his first 11 on Saturday.
Erling Haaland ready to start for Man City
Erling Haaland has been out of action for Man City with an ankle injury since the Manchester club’s win over Bournemouth in the FA Cup quarter-final at the end of March.
This week, Haaland stated that he is ready to play ahead of the FA Cup final next weekend and was expected to get minutes against Southampton in order to build up his match sharpness.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Guardiola has revealed that the Norwegian is ready to start for Man City, but that call will be made on Saturday at some stage.
“He’s ready. He’s ready, he’s fit. To start? We will decide tomorrow,” Guardiola said when asked about Haaland’s fitness.
This is huge news for Man City ahead of a crucial period in their season. Although Haaland has not been at his best throughout the 2024/25 campaign, the 24-year-old is still an elite goalscorer, evident in the 30 goals he has produced this season, whilst not at his very best.
Ahead of Man City’s trip to Southampton, Guardiola also provided an update on Rodri’s injury, while stating that two more stars have returned to training with the Manchester club.
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Rodri is still not available for Man City
Rodri has been a massive miss for Man City this season, having been out of action since picking up a serious knee injury against Arsenal back in September.
The Man City midfielder recently returned to training and ahead of Man City’s trip to Southampton, Guardiola has stated that the Spaniard is still not available for selection.
“He is still not available,” the Man City boss told the press when asked. The target for the 28-year-old is still the FIFA Club World Cup this summer.
Guardiola would also reveal that Nathan Ake and Oscar Bobb have returned to training with the Man City squad, but like Rodri, the duo are not ready to be selected to play.
“Still not available,” the Man City boss said about the duo. “They have started training with us partially, but they are still not available.”
Injuries have been a big issue for the Manchester club this week, and having now come through it, it looks like Guardiola will have a full team to pick from when the Club World Cup gets underway in June.
