Manchester City's Pep Guardiola wary of Southampton

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has warned his team of a tough trip to Southampton this weekend in what will be test of their resolve.

The one time Guardiola oversaw this fixture resulted in a 1-1 draw at the Etihad back in October and Saints have since gone on to reach the EFL Cup final and look set for a top-half finish in the Premier League this season.

Guardiola said ahead of the trip [H/T The Daily Echo]: "I think Southampton are making an exceptional season.

"They have, of course, a good manager and exceptional players in all positions. They have very good midfielders, all the strikers are so fast, they play the wingers inside - and all of them have good quality. The full-backs are guys who go up and down.

"They are a really, really good team. I was really impressed when they came here at the beginning of the season. Of course in that moment we came back from Barcelona, had played a lot of games in that period and we were tired. But of course they are a good team. It's a really good test for us."

City are currently embroiled in a battle to secure a top-four finish and Champions League football for next season. Guardiola's side ended a winless run of four games with victory over Hull City last week.