| Saints At Manchester City The Preview | Saints head up to Lancashire with injury problems stretching the squad to it’s limits, not the sort of preparation … 23-10-2016 |
Southampton, meanwhile, have had a decent start to the season under Claude Puel and come into this clash with only one defeat in the last five Premier League games. Saints also beat City 4-2 in May, though the odds on the same will be much, much longer this time around.
Aguero should return to the starting line having been on the bench for the midweek defeat at Barcelona. Guardiola confirmed his star striker doesn’t have any injury concerns and that his absence was a tactical decision.
Southampton face one more game against Inter Milan tonight.
"I spoke with Vincent (and said), ‘Don’t put on a lot of pressure about how many games, or (set) big, big targets. Try to train good and after a week training and no injuries, after we play a game. After that play 75 minutes, 90 minutes’. “Maybe it was my mistake in Swansea not to put in another player. I think when he’s trying to play one game and after that another one, he’ll take a lot of confidence and maybe he’ll be able to play more games.”
Manchester City and Southampton both face the prospect of being without their first-choice full-backs at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Pablo Zabaleta sustained a foot injury in his side’s UEFA Champions League defeat by Barcelona in midweek and has been ruled out of the Matchweek 9 encounter along with fellow defender Bacary Sagna (hamstring), leaving Pep Guardiola with a selection headache.
For the Saints, not only will Shane Long (hamstring) be absent, but Claude Puel is also sweating over the fitness of three of his four senior full-backs.
“Long will be out with his hamstring injury and perhaps also Ryan Bertrand and Matt Targett, but we will see this today as well as Cedric [Soares],” Puel told southamptonfc.com.
“It’s difficult and it’s a problem with all these games for [Sam] McQueen, who is a young player, and [Cuco] Martina to play all the time.”
Southampton have lost their last five league visits to Man City, last winning an away match in the competition against Sunday’s opponents in April 2004.
But the visitors will be buoyed by their strong form in 2016, having collected 51 points in the calendar year to date, two more than City.
See: Guardiola press conference in full | Puel on injuries
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