Dan celebrates his first year of writing for the Ugly Inside by taking a look at the visit of Manchester City and assesses our chances of turning them over again.

On Saturday afternoon, Pep Guardiola’s men will visit St.Mary’s for a showdown between two Premier League sides where one is in great form and the other is rather unconfident which could create an exciting matchup. Guardiola’s City are trying to gain as many points as possible as they look to guarantee a finish in the top-four, whereas Southampton are trying to finish as high as possible in the Premier League table and are looking to take as many points as they can over the final set of fixtures.

As an outsider, I think that most would say that City have underachieved this season. After winning 10 games in a row (6 in the Premier League) Guardiola’s men looked as if they should’ve been handed the title then. However, defeat to Spurs saw wins turn into draws and losses means that despite a recent uphaul in the New Year, City have to compete for Champions League qualification and not the Premier League title.

With Sergio Aguero back in the goals and Vincent Kompany being back from injury, City have a very strong line-up to finish the season well. Another bonus for them possibly, is their elimination in the Champions League, meaning that a full-strength side can be played at St.Mary’s instead of last season when they had a game with Real Madrid a few days after their loss on the south-coast.

Manchester City’s last five league results:

W- 3-1 vs Hull(H)

L- 2-1 vs Chelsea (A) D- 2-2 vs Arsenal (A)

D- 1-1 vs Liverpool (H)

D- 0-0 vs Stoke City (H)

As for Southampton, a win at West Brom was crucial if they want to finish higher than ninth or tenth. Closing the gap on eighth was positive but now it is a case of gaining as many points as possible. This won’t be seen as a must win game but the team know that they have the capability of getting results against strong sides like City as they did at the Etihad six months ago.

Manolo Gabbiadini should be back for this game after a groin injury and Ryan Bertrand should be available after a knock. I also believe that Sofiane Boufal should be in contention after suffering from another knock which side lined the Moroccan for last week’s fixtures. Furthermore, a recent emergence of the form that Fraser Forster was in last season has appeared which is very important for the late stage of the season as the goalkeeper has had a below-par season.

Prediction:

Honestly, this seems like it could be a good chance to get something from a game against City. If Kompany does play then City’s defence will automatically improve rather drastically however, a return of Gabbiadini would prove to be a fierce match-up. City will want to clinch Champions League qualification but will find it very hard to get all three points against a Southampton side who have won four of their last six. On paper it looks to be a City win but I feel like this could be an enjoyable game for Southampton. 2-2 for me.

Photo: Action Images

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