Southampton vs. Manchester City - a look ahead after Citizens thrash Liverpool

Manchester City thrashed the 2019/20 Premier League Champions Liverpool on Thursday evening, pushing four goals past the Reds while goalkeeper Ederson maintained a clean sheet.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring for City with a penalty 25 minutes in, and the scoring continued for the side through the half, with Raheem Sterling adding a goal on 35’ and Phil Foden netting just before half-time.

With six matches left this season, City sit comfortably at second in the table, 20 points behind champions Liverpool and eight ahead of Leicester City in third. No doubt, they will prove a tough challenge for a rejuvenated Saints side on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Southampton sit at 14th with 40 points, just five points out of the 10th slot and three behind Newcastle (12th). Obviously, taking three points from the second place side will be no easy task, but there’s hope that the side can play to their away form at St. Mary’s on Sunday evening.

Luckily, star striker Danny Ings has been on a tear since play has resumed, with three goals in three matches, including a brace in their dominant 3-1 win over Watford this past Sunday.

Manchester City have three wins from their four matches since League play has returned, outscoring opponents 13-1 in that span, with Phil Foden and De Bruyne netting five times together.

The last time the two sides met was in early November, with Manchester City’s Kyle Walker scoring in the final minutes to put City ahead after the Saints had led for 57 minutes of the match. Saints were in relegation form at the time, sitting at 18th after that loss, and are in a much better position this time around. Having picked up two solid wins of late, the squad has proven they have the capability to outplay their table position.

Hopefully they can prove this in keeping points at St. Mary’s on Sunday against a top-notch Manchester City side.