Southampton (A) - Sat 22nd Jan, 17:30 | Pre Match Thread

[remember arthur mann]

Only the other day Pep was quoting " We won't win every match, we'll lose and draw some". Be prepared.

 

[Bluemoon9909]

Seen it mentioned a bit so take it Yates is the best pub for pre game?

 

[JPAMCR]

Hate playing Southampton. An hour and a half of watching goal kicks and throw ins. And we’re the boring team ruining football.

 

[Fordyboy46]

No use predicting a line up because come half four on Saturday you just know four or five players you'd expect to start will be missing from the squad altogether. If we somehow have a fully fit squad I'd like to see: Ederson, Walker, Cancelo, Dias, Laporte, Rodri, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Foden, Palmer, Sterling .

Subs: Steffen, Zinchenko, Stones, Fernandinho, Gundogan, Jesus, Grealish, Ake, Mcatee

 

[Big gay Al]

Don't panic...(says me)

 

[Bournemouth Blue]

Nervous about this, simply because of the result earlier in the season. I hope the focus is there, if we have most first team squad fit and in form, (and good to know Liam Delap is on the way back to fitness) it should be a routine win, but we have been shaken up by Southampton in the past.

 

[FantasyIreland]

The utter brilliance of their world class midfielder James Ward Prowse will be our biggest threat.

 

[AliBobbyJ]

1-0 or 2-1 in last few games, time City thumped someone again.

 

[City_Sean]

They're a progressive side who like to press high and caused us plenty of issues in the reverse fixture. The reality is that in that game we had Ferna as the #6, Ake and Dias at the back who just arent on the same level as Stones and Laporte at passing, and Sterling terribly out of form at false nine. Add to that Foden and Kev on the bench and not fully fit.

We're a completely different proposition at the minute.

Wouldn't shock me if Bernardo/Grealish play false nine to help us control the middle and beat their press.

Ederson
Walker Stones/Dias Laporte Cancelo
Gundogan Rodri KDB
Sterling Bernardo Foden

 

[eyalluvitt]

Best team we have played this season, we were lucky to get nil at the Etihad thanks to our old nemesis VAR