Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure Reuters

Manchester City host Southampton at the Etihad on Saturday as the Citizens look to close in on title rivals Liverpool, who play on Sunday.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 12:45pm BST. Live coverage will be available on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport 1 HD.

Overview

Manchester City are currently four points behind Liverpool at the top with two games in hand. A win against Southampton will close the gap on the Reds who host City at Anfield next week. City come into the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates where they failed to hold their lead after going ahead through David Silva in the 17th minute. The Gunners came back rejuvenated in the second half and equalised through Mathieu Flamini who had cost Arsenal two points against Swansea with an own goal in the dying minutes of the game.

However, manager Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping that his side are able to shrug off their disappointments and concentrate on the task at hand as they look to replicate their title winning heroics from the 2011/12 season. Sergio Aguero will not play in the game as he is recovering from a hamstring problem but should be available for their visit to Anfield next week.

Meanwhile, Southampton will be looking to play party poopers at Etihad, having already taken points off the men in Blue at the St Mary's Stadium. The reverse fixture ended in a 1-1 draw and with Adam Lallana, Ricky Lambert and Jay Rodriguez in brilliant form, it will be difficult for City to take three points from the Saints. Manager Mauricio Pochettino will be hoping that his side can end the season on a high note, having played some brilliant football in the opening half of the season.

Adam Lallana
Adam lallana

What the Managers Say

Manuel Pellegrini: "They are a very good team. They are playing without pressure, they are in a comfortable situation in the table. They cannot arrive in Europe, they cannot be relegated, they have very good players and a very good manager. We are absolutely sure we are going to have a tough game on Saturday."

Mauricio Pochettino: "We are a team that depends on our own performances. Even if we are going to be facing an amazing side like Manchester City we are still a team that likes to play our game and impose our philosophy. In the time I have been here we have always shown full respect to the opponents but we are never fearful of who we are playing against. We always try to be brave no matter who we are playing - we want to dominate the game but we need to be perfect to get something out of this game."

Form Guide

Manchester City

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): D W W W L
  • Last Result: Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City

Southampton

  • Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W L W W L
  • Last Result: Southampton 4-0 Newcastle

Team News

Manchester City

  • Injured: Sergio Aguero(hamstring), Matija Nastasic(knee)
  • Suspended: N/A
  • Doubtful: N/A

Probable Line-Up: Hart; Zabaleta, Demichelis, Kompany, Clichy; Toure, Fernandinho; Milner, Silva, Nasri; Dzeko

Southampton

  • Injured: Nathaniel Clyne (groin), Kevin Davis (hip), Maya Yoshida (knee)
  • Suspended: N/A
  • Doubtful: Victor Wanyama (leg)

Probable Line-Up: Boruc; Chambers, Fonte, Lovren, Shaw; Davis, Cork, Ward-Prowse; Lallana, Rodriguez, Lambert

Manchester City FC