Southampton predicted lineup vs Manchester City - Premier League

Southampton welcome Manchester City to St Mary's Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Ralph Hasenhuttl was thrust into the Premier League limelight carrying the unwanted nickname 'the Alpine Klopp' but has a decidedly poor record against the chief rival of Liverpool's German coach.

Manchester City's Pep Guardiola has defeated Hasenhuttl more times than any other manager in the Austrian's career (seven - incidentally one more than the actual Jurgen Klopp against his faux namesake).

Here's the XI Southampton's longest-serving manager for three decades may deploy to overcome an unfavourable opponent this weekend.

Southampton predicted lineup vs Manchester City - Premier League

1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Fraser Forster (GK) - Alex McCarthy's understudy is yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet this term but has only lost once.

Kyle Walker-Peters (RB) - Given the emergence of Tino Livramento this season, the former Tottenham defender hasn't started on his natural right hand side of a back four all season - though that could change after returning from COVID.

Jan Bednarek (CB) - Southampton have fielded a back-three in their last trio of league outings but may revert to a familiar system that earned them a point at the Etihad in September, with Bednarek deployed ahead of the lesser used Lyanco,

Mohammed Salisu (CB) - The most booked player in this season's Premier League (with nine already) is one caution shy of another suspension.

Romain Perraud (LB) - After a staccato opening to his career on the south coast, the 24-year-old is in the midst of his longest run in the team, starting the last three league matches.

2. Midfielders

Nathan Tella (RM) - Inspired to even more diligently pursue his dream of international football given the improvement in Che Adams following his Scotland involvement, Hasenhuttl will be relieved he didn't lose his versatile forward to Nigeria for this year's AFCON.

James Ward-Prowse (CM) - The Premier League's set-piece savant accounts for an eighth of all the direct free kick goals scored in England's top flight across the past five seasons.

Oriol Romeu (CM) - Southampton's ball magnet in midfield is second only to Brentford's Christian Norgaard for recoveries in this season's Premier League.

Nathan Redmond (LM) - A player who once 'destroyed' Manchester City, according to Guardiola's account of proceedings in 2016, is Southampton's leading assist provider this term with four.

3. Forwards

Adam Armstrong (ST) - Goalless since the first week of November, Southampton's nippy number nine earned the Saints a penalty and Kyle Walker a red card in the reverse fixture with Manchester City - though both were ultimately overturned.

Armando Broja (ST) - The towering Slough-born Albania international has scored in exactly half of his 12 Premier League starts.

You can read 90min's preview of Southampton vs Man City here.

You can read Man City's predicted lineup here.