Man City vs Southampton LIVE! Premier League match stream, latest team news, lineups, TV, prediction

Erling Haaland overtook Rivaldo and Luis Suarez on 28 goals in just 22 Champions League games as Manchester City ran out comfortable winners over FC Copenhagen on Wednesday night.

The Norway international struck a first-half brace as the superlatives around him continue to run dry. While Haaland’s first, a powerful finish from inside the box to sweep Joao Cancelo’s driven cross home, came after only six minutes, even that would have felt like a lifetime for the away side.

Pep Guardiola deployed what was effectively a front five in possession as Julian Alvarez, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish swarming around Haaland, who missed two good chances as City threatened to run riot.

City had their second when Haaland reacted first to Sergio Gomez’s deflected shot into the box as the 22-year-old tapped in to an empty net. Before the interval, the home side would add a third after another deflected shot from Gomez was turned into his own net by Davit Khocholava.

Guardiola then afforded Haaland (and Copenhagen) some rest after the break, though Mahrez was able to add to their tally by converting a penalty after Aymeric Laporte was brought down in the box by Marko Stamenic in the aftermath of a short corner.

Alvarez then added a fifth with a tap-in after some incisive interplay from Grealish and Mahrez to secure a routine win.

England manager Gareth Southgate is facing a defensive injury headache ahead of next month’s World Cup, with Kyle Walker at risk of missing the tournament after undergoing groin surgery.

Walker suffered what manager Pep Guardiola had initially said was an abdominal problem during Manchester City’s 6-3 victory over Manchester United on Sunday and was forced off before half-time.

However, in a statement on Thursday the club confirmed Walker had gone under the knife to resolve an issue with his left groin.

Speaking after City’s 5-0 victory over Copenhagen in the Champions League last night, boss Guardiola said he was unsure whether the full-back would recover in time for the tournament, which is now little more than six weeks away.

“He’ll be a while out,” Guardiola said. “I don’t know [how long]. I can’t say anything else. We have to speak to the doctors. Hopefully, he can get back like Kalvin [Phillips].

Jack Grealish believes he is approaching his best form for Manchester City after an extended run in the team.

The England international has started City’s last four games across all competitions, slowly establishing himself as a key player in Pep Guardiola’s system.

While City’s strength in depth is obvious, Grealish scored against Wolves, received plaudits for his performance against Manchester United and was once again heavily involved as his team ran out 5-0 winners against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Clearly, Erling Haaland will dominate the headlines after scoring another brace and taking his tally up to a stunning 19 goals in 11 games for the club, though Grealish’s improvement is noteworthy given how much had been made of the 27-year-old’s form in his first season at the club following a £100m move from Aston Villa.

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How on earth does one go about devising a gameplan to successfully thwart goal machine Haaland and the rest of City’s vast attacking riches?

The strength in depth available to Guardiola is frankly preposterous and it seems impossible to shut down all of their threats simultaneously, especially as an out-of-form team away from home with a manager on the brink of the sack.

City were actually fortunate to escape with a goalless draw from this fixture last September, but that surely won’t be the case this time around.

Man City to win, 4-0.

Southampton are still missing Tino Livramento and Romeo Lavia, while Adam Armstrong and Juan Larios both face late fitness tests.

Manchester City are without Kyle Walker, who underwent surgery on a groin injury earlier this week and is now in a race against time to be fit for the World Cup.

England team-mates John Stones and Kalvin Phillips are also still out with hamstring and shoulder problems respectively.

Rodri, however, could return.

TV channel and live stream: Due to ongoing blackout restrictions surrounding 3pm kick-offs in English football, Manchester City vs Southampton will not be broadcast live on these shores.

However, you can catch highlights as ever on Match of the Day, which starts on BBC One at 10:25pm BST on Saturday night.

Live blog: You can follow all the action via Standard Sport’s live blog.

Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Manchester City’s meeting with Southampton this afternoon.

All eyes are on Erling Haaland of course as he bids for his fourth consecutive hat-trick on home soil.

Kick-off at the Etihad Stadium is at 3pm BST.