Southampton boss Mark Hughes has admitted that his side will be “ready to go again” as they look to secure their Premier League status on the final day against Manchester City.
The Saints secured a vital win at Swansea on Tuesday night a result which moved them one step closer to survival, with Swansea needing a miracle for Hughes’ men to be relegated now.
A goal from second-half substitute Manolo Gabbiadini proved pivotal on Tuesday night as Hughes’ side moved three points clear of Swansea at the bottom of the table.
A point would mathematically keep the Saints in the division, but even a defeat would be enough with Swansea needing a nine-goal swing on the final day.
However, the Saints do face one of the greatest Premier League teams in the form of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City
City come into the game on the back of a dominant home win against Brighton on Wednesday night where they rested numerous players but still got the job done.
Both sides have been in strong form of late, with Southampton collecting eight points from their last four while, City have got 10 points from their last four matches.
Southampton will hope City aren’t quite on it this weekend as they look to confirm their Premier League status this season.
An unlikely win for the Saints could lift them as high as 15th in the final Premier League total, but safety remains the prime objective.
City have been phenomenal on the road picking up 47 points from their 18 away matches to date, winning 15 of them.
As for Saints, they have been poor in front of their supporters this term accumulating just 19 home points from their 18 games, which is the second worst in the league.
City have been far superior to every side this season so it will provide a tough test for Hughes and his players as they look to finish the season off strongly at St Mary’s.
Saints boss Hughes spoke to the media ahead of the visit of Manchester City and admitted that his side are ready to finish the job when his former club come to town this weekend.
As reported by the club’s official website, Hughes said:
The win at Swansea wasn’t the final step. The focus and commitment has been unwavering ever since and we’ll be ready to go again on Sunday. The fans recognised that we needed them and we had to perform better to give them something. It feels everyone is moving forward in the same direction.
In terms of team news, club captain Steven Davis remains out with an Achilles problem.
Mario Lemina and Jan Bednarek will both have late fitness tests to discover their participation in the game.
Maya Yoshida returns after sitting out the win at Swansea with a suspension.
As for City, Sergio Aguero remains out with a knee injury while David Silva also likely to be missing due to personal reasons.
Both sides have been in strong form of late and it’s set up to be an exciting game, but you’d expect City’s quality to shine through regardless of who is selected.
I can see Saints keeping it tight for a period of time before the visitor’s class comes through to grab the win which takes them to 100 points.
I think that City will win this one 3-1 on Sunday afternoon.
