Manchester City are coming off a nice win at home against Hull City. It was a game rarely in doubt for supporters, which was a nice change of pace. This weekend things change, and the Sky Blues face a tougher test against Southampton.
Below are the eleven players we believe Pep will select in his starting lineup against Southampton. Pep will most likely stick with the 4-3-3 formation that City has used in the past few months.
Goalkeeper: Claudio Bravo
Bravo came back to the team last weekend and failed to keep a clean sheet as Hull got a late consolation goal. Bravo played well for most of the match, though, and he'll probably get another chance this weekend.
Defense: Jesús Navas, John Stones, Aleksandar Kolarov, Gaël Clichy
Something about Guardiola is when he believes something has worked he’s reluctant to change. This back line played well against Hull and Kolarov’s long passes to Raheem Sterling were a big part of City’s success. Expect these four to start again, but if Vincent Kompany can play he’ll be a threat to Kolarov’s spot.
Midfield: Yaya Touré, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne
Fabian Delph has earned a lot of praise for his performances last week, but City have Kevin De Bruyne who is ready to start agian after being benched last week. Silva and Touré really pick themselves at this point. The Spanish Magician has been phenomenal and Yaya is Yaya.
Forwards: Raheem Sterling, Sergio Agüero, Leroy Sané
With Gabriel Jesus still a couple of weeks away from being ready, there is no doubt about the front three. Agüero, Sané and Sterling have been very good for the last few weeks and nothing should change with a full week to rest and prepare.