Played
August 19, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
Etihad Stadium — Manchester
Referee: H. Webb
Attendance: 46190
August 19, 2012 11:00 AM EDT
Etihad Stadium — Manchester
Referee: H. Webb
Attendance: 46190
Premier League Preview: Manchester City - Southampton
Roberto Mancini's men will look to hit the ground running in their defense of the title against the newly-promoted Saints, who finished as runners-up in the second tier.
By Michael Lightfoot
Getty Images
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
|
MANCHESTER CITY
 Hart Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy Yaya Toure, De Jong Silva, Tevez, Nasri Aguero |
SOUTHAMPTON
 K Davis Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox Guly, Schneiderlin, S Davis, Lallana Rodriguez, Lambert |
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Manchester City starts its first Premier League season as champion but could have both Joe Hart and Mario Balotelli out injured, with the duo missing the international friendly between England and Italy midweek. Hart could return after a back injury but Costel Pantilimon is ready to deputize, while Balotelli is less likely to feature after conjunctivitis.
Gareth Barry and Micah Richards will not play due to respective hernia and foot injuries but City's strength in depth will allow it to field a strong XI nevertheless.
Southampton starts its first Premier League campaign since its relegation with a first meeting between the pair in the higher echelons in five years.
Jack Cork will not feature after sustaining an ankle injury in the club's final preseason friendly but Nigel Adkins looks set to hand competitive team debuts to Nathaniel Clyne, Steven Davis and Jay Rodriguez, who signed from Crystal Palace, Rangers and Burnley respectively.
The Saints are in discussions with Gaston Ramirez, of Bologna, but will not complete the deal in time for him to feature.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
Manchester City dropped just two points at the Etihad Stadium last season.
- It is on a run of 29 Premier League home games undefeated, with 27 of those wins.
- It is a clash of the goalscoring titans. City top scored in the Premier League with 93 goals; Nigel Adkins' (right) men scored the most in the Championship with 85.
- Southampton could struggle to win this match on the basis that only one newly promoted side - Blackpool - has won its opening game in the last three seasons.
- However, the last 16 Premier League fixtures between these two has seen the away side victors on seven occasions, while the home side have won only four.
- The last match between the pair in the top flight was five years ago.
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
-
Manchester City 3-0 Southampton
- 13.71 %
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Manchester City 4-0 Southampton
- 10.65 %
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Manchester City 8-0 Southampton
- 8.21 %
| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Feb 9, 2013 | Southampton 3 - Manchester City 1 |
|
| English Premier League (EPL) (EPL) | Aug 19, 2012 | Manchester City 3 - Southampton 2 |
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Manchester City
   |
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| May 19, 2013 | Manchester City 2 - Norwich City 3 | EPL |
| May 14, 2013 | Reading 0 - Manchester City 2 | EPL |
| May 11, 2013 | Manchester City 0 - Wigan Athletic 1 | FA |
| May 7, 2013 | Manchester City 1 - West Bromwich 0 | EPL |
| May 4, 2013 | Swansea City 0 - Manchester City 0 | EPL |
Southampton
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| May 19, 2013 | Southampton 1 - Stoke 1 | EPL |
| May 12, 2013 | Sunderland 1 - Southampton 1 | EPL |
| May 4, 2013 | Tottenham 1 - Southampton 0 | EPL |
| Apr 27, 2013 | Southampton 0 - West Bromwich 3 | EPL |
| Apr 20, 2013 | Swansea City 0 - Southampton 0 | EPL |
| 1 | Joe Hart | Goalkeeper |
| 4 | Vincent Kompany | Defender |
| 5 | Pablo Zabaleta | Defender |
| 6 | Joleon Lescott | Defender |
| 22 | Gael Clichy | Defender |
| 8 | Samir Nasri | Midfielder |
| 17 | Jack Rodwell | Midfielder |
| 21 | David Silva | Striker |
| 42 | Yaya Touré | Midfielder |
| 16 | Sergio Agüero | Striker |
| 32 | Carlos Tévez | Striker |
| 30 | Costel Pantilimon | Goalkeeper |
| 13 | Aleksandar Kolarov | Defender |
| 15 | Stefan Savic | Defender |
| 7 | James Milner | Midfielder |
| 34 | Nigel De Jong | Midfielder |
| 10 | Edin Dzeko | Striker |
| 45 | Mario Balotelli | Striker |
| 1 | Kelvin Davis | Goalkeeper |
| 6 | Jose Rocha Fonte | Defender |
| 13 | Daniel Fox | Defender |
| 5 | Jos Hooiveld | Defender |
| 2 | Nathaniel Clyne | Defender |
| 4 | Morgan Schneiderlin | Midfielder |
| 21 | Guilherme Do Prado | Midfielder |
| 20 | Adam Lallana | Midfielder |
| 42 | Jason Puncheon | Midfielder |
| 16 | James Ward-Prowse | Midfielder |
| 9 | Jay Rodriguez | Striker |
| 12 | Paulo Gazzaniga | Goalkeeper |
| 22 | Frazer Richardson | Defender |
| 25 | Daniel Seaborne | Defender |
| 23 | Luke Shaw | Defender |
| 8 | Steven Davis | Midfielder |
| 7 | Rickie Lambert | Striker |
| - | Billy Sharp | Striker |
Results
Times In EDT
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Robin van Persie Striker Man United |
26 | 3 |
|
Luis Suárez Striker Liverpool |
23 | 0 |
|
Gareth Bale Midfielder Tottenham |
21 | 0 |
|
C. Benteke Striker Aston Villa |
19 | 3 |
|
Michu Midfielder Swansea City |
19 | 0 |
