Relegation-threatened Southampton face a tricky test as they play host to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, with the Cityzens looking to chase down Arsenal for the Premier League title this season.
Rooted to the bottom of the table, the Saints fell to a 1-0 defeat to West Ham last weekend, and sit five points away from safety as it stands, while they need 17 points from their final 9 games to reach the magical 40 point barrier which usually assures survival.
Having beaten Guardiola’s side in the League Cup in January, there is belief that they could do so again, but it would be a massive ask to send the champions packing with nothing.
Here’s how we expect Selles to set up the Saints, and the latest injury news from the south coast.
📰 Table Of Contents
Predicted XI
Team News
There are plenty of team news issues plaguing Southampton ahead of the clash with the reigning Premier League Champions, with several players expected to miss out.
“Unfortunately, [Mohammed] Salisu and Che [Adams] will not make it for this game”, interim boss Ruben Selles told the media. “After their situation in the last week, they have not been able to join us on the training ground. Armel [Bella-Kotchap] is still a question mark for us. And Tino [Livramento] is doing great in training but he is still not ready to compete after one year out of football. Juan [Larios] is out for the season with a long-term injury so that’s the news.”
🤕 Mohammed Salisu
🤕 Che Adams
🤕 Tino LivramentoRubén Sellés gives a team news update ahead of Southampton’s game against Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/Bo8H5kWrCk
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) April 6, 2023
I have a big squad and I can use them so it can be Paul [Onuachu], it can be Sekou [Mara]. It can be a false nine, it can be a No 10 in that position. It can be that I change the formation, so let’s see what I decide.”
