After a disappointing evening full of missed chances at the San Siro on Thursday, Southampton now turn their attentions back to the Premier League with a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face a stuttering Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side had been flying high before a 3-3 draw in the Champions League against Celtic was followed up with a defeat at Tottenham Hotspur, a home draw with Everton and a 4-0 thumping away at Guardiola’s former side Barcelona.
Southampton, on the other hand, have been soaring after a slow start to the season, with the unfortunate 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan being their first loss in eight games.
The Etihad, however, hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Claude Puel’s side of late, with The Saints tasting defeat in each of their last six trips to the stadium.
In terms of team news, Puel has confirmed Shane Long will be out for the trip to The Etihad after the Irishman limped off with a hamstring injury in the defeat to Inter Milan. Matt Targett, Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares, all also out with hamstring problems, are also expected to be sidelined after missing the trip to Milan, meaning youngster Sam McQueen will be likely to continue at full-back. Nathan Redmond, however, will be expected to return to the side.
Hosts Manchester City also have injuries concerning their full-backs, with Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna sidelined. City will also be monitoring the fitness of captain Vincent Kompany, with the Belgian being left out of the midweek trip to Barcelona with a lack of fitness.
I’ll now take a look back at the last four meetings between the two sides.
