Saturday afternoon in the Premier League on 26th October 2024 will see the defending champions Manchester City square off with newly promoted side, Southampton. This match will be one of the 3 PM kick-offs that will happen simultaneously. 

Obviously, Manchester City are the best and arguably the most entertaining team in the League but for this match, many neutrals may divert their attention elsewhere as an easy win is expected for the club. 

Pep Guardiola’s men will be looking to secure another three points on at home as they seek their fifth title in a row. They are on a run unlike any we have ever seen in the history of English football and that train does not look like stopping or slowing down anytime soon. 

Pep Guardiola is nearing a decade at the Manchester Club where he has won six Premier League titles in eight seasons. The length of his tenure at the club is particularly impressive as he did not spend longer than four years at the previous clubs he managed in his career. The team’s hunger and desire to keep winning is also a factor that has kept Pep Guardiola at the club as the manager has stated that he won’t be there otherwise. 

“Nine years today in the same club is an eternity. So I want to be sure it’s the right decision. Not just for me, for the club, for the players,” he said during City’s preseason tour in America. 

“Still they run like they ran for eight years, it doesn’t matter the competition, it doesn’t matter the tournament and this is what I have to see.”

The prospect of Pep spending a decade at Manchester City will be exciting for nobody else but Manchester City supporters as the rest of the division knows that this juggernaut will remain at the top of the standings as long as the Spaniard is around. 

Any dream of reaching the level of Manchester City is a fairytale for Saturday’s opponents as the Saints will attempt to cause an upset at the Etihad. It is a near-impossible task as newly promoted sides tend to lose at the home of the Champions but they have to undertake the task regardless. 

Russell Martin’s side, who gained promotion to the Premier League via a Championship playoff final victory over Leeds United last May, will have their work cut out for them to stay up as they are seen as one of the likely teams to be relegated this year. 

Martin and the Saints will not be swayed by the noise as the Englishman aims to have his side play their own way and show how brave they can be on the Premier League stage. 

“The dream is to put this team out on the biggest stage every week, to show what they can do and how brave they can be,” Martin said before the Championship Playoff final last season. 

Playing with bravery is admirable but it does not always lead to three points, especially when there is this big of a gap in quality between the two sides but it will be interesting to see what gameplan Southampton comes up with to make life difficult for their opponents come Saturday. 

One of Southampton’s best qualities as a team was how hard-working they are as a team. They were one of the best pressing teams last season in the Championship and they will aim to bring the intensity when they take on City. 

Whatever the game plan they come up with might not be enough against the might of the Premier League champions and history remains on the side of the home team in this fixture. Since Pep Guardiola took charge of City, Southampton have lost six and drawn two of their matches against City at the Etihad. 

The last time these two teams faced in the League was in the 2022/2023 season where Joao Cancel, Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez and Erling Haaland were on the scoresheet.  

Match Tickets

Man City vs Southampton tickets can be found online for fans looking to purchase. Manchester City fans will be present in full voice to watch their team play and they will be expecting lots of goals as well as three points for their beloved team. 

The game will be played at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester on Saturday, 26th of October at 3:00 PM. Fans in and around the United Kingdom where Sky Sports’ coverage reaches will be able to enjoy the game at that time.

The Premier League is broadcast to 212 total provinces in the world, which means that fans outside the United Kingdom have to tune in to one of the league’s broadcast partners in their province for the game.

Team news

The Citizens will be searching for another home win and they will have the full complement of their first-team squad to execute their plans. They have a clean bill of health and no injuries at this time. 

Southampton on the other hand will have to go without their first-choice goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu who has been sidelined since last season with an Achilles tendon rupture. He is expected to return in January 2025 at least. 

Lineups

Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol at the center of defence, John Stones could play in midfield but Rodri is missing with a long-term injury. A front three of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland could be leading the line for the defending Champions although they have many options such as Silva, Doku and Savinho. 

Manchester City: Ederson ; Walker, Dias, Gvardiol, Ake, Gundogan, Stones, De Bruyne, Foden, Grealish, Haaland. 

The Saints head into this match and will play a pragmatic style with a 4-2-3-1 formation. 

Southampton: McCarthy; Sugawara, Bella-Kotchap, Bednarek, Taylor, Alcaraz, Lallana, Downes, Diaz, Sulemana, Mara. 

Prediction

Football is an unpredictable sport where anything can occur but in this match, the possibility of anything other than a dominant City win happening is slim at best. 

The newly promoted Southampton will most likely be penned in their half for much of the match as City dominate the match on the way to another three points. 

 Manchester City 5-0 Southampton