Theo Walcott in contention for Southampton; Riyad Mahrez will not be rushed back for Man City; follow Southampton vs Man City live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm; watch free highlights shortly after full-time on Sky Sports website and app
Saturday 22 January 2022 17:31, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Southampton vs Man City in the Premier League on Saturday Night Football; kick-off 5.30pm.
Southampton duo Theo Walcott and Mohamed Elyounoussi are in contention for Saturday's Premier League clash with leaders Manchester City following absences due to Covid-19.
But the Saints remain without goalkeeper Alex McCarthy (hamstring), right-back Tino Livramento (knee) and midfielder Will Smallbone (calf).
Mali winger Moussa Djenepo is also unavailable due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Manchester City are not rushing Riyad Mahrez back into action following Algeria's early elimination from the tournament in Cameroon.
Mahrez is to be given a week off and will return for City after the Premier League's winter break.
Centre-back Nathan Ake is available again after a knock but left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko is still sidelined.
Southampton vs Man City will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm; kick-off 5.30pm. Sky Sports customers can watch in-game clips in the live match blog on the Sky Sports website and app. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel shortly after the final whistle.
Manchester City will lose a football match soon - but not this one.
Pep Guardiola's men have won each of the last 12 Premier League games to fully gain control of the Premier League title race and to my eye, there does seem room for improvement in their performance levels which is a scary thought. Southampton don't possess the defensive know-how to stop them.
Raheem Sterling had only scored one Premier League goal this season at the start of December following a stop-start period that perhaps was a bit of a hangover from his dazzling performances for England at the Euros. But the Sterling we're seeing now is the fully fit and fully firing version. He was outstanding in the 1-0 win over Chelsea, revelling playing down the right as he sauntered past Marcos Alonso time after time. All that was missing from his performance was a goal but he remains in good nick in front of the sticks, scoring five in his last six appearances and eight in his last 12.
I'm happy to back him here to grab the game's first goal, just like he did in this fixture last season.
SCORE PREDICTION: 0-2
BETTING ANGLE: Raheem Sterling to score first (7/2 with Sky Bet)
The Essential Football Podcast returns as host Alice Piper is joined by Charlotte Marsh and Ben Grounds to preview another captivating round of Premier League games which could have ramifications at both ends of the table.
PART ONE | After their dramatic, late victory at Leicester, the panel assess whether Antonio Conte's Tottenham can crack the Stamford Bridge code and haul Chelsea back into the wide open race for the top four
PART TWO | Cristiano Ronaldo's tantrum stole the headlines but having bounced back at Brentford have Ralf Rangnick and Man Utd built enough momentum to capitalise on the West Ham fragilities exposed by Leeds and boost their top-four chances? Plus: with an 11-point lead at the summit, can champions Man City afford to take their foot of the gas at Southampton?
PART THREE | An archetypal relegation six-pointer kicks off the Premier League weekend as Watford host Norwich on Friday - but which club is best placed to seize the initiative? Plus: tasked with steadying the ship for the second time in three years, can Duncan Ferguson galvanise Everton ahead of the visit of Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa?