The Citizens have already suffered two defeat in defense of the title they won last season and they will be hoping to leapfrog Southampton to second place when they face the saints on Sunday. But Man City have hardly been as good as the side which won the Premier League title last season and manager Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping his star players can step up for the important game.
However one man in the City roster has been delivering the goods on a consistent basis this season. The mercurial Sergio Aguero who has often been criticized for his inconsistency has been phenomenal for his club this campaign. The Argentinean has scored 17 goals in just 18 Premier League and Champions League appearances and is currently the top scorer in the Barclays Premier League.
The former Atletico Madrid man was his side's stand out player when they went against Bayern Munich last time out. He opened the scoring for his side but the away team took the lead with quick goals from Xabi Alonso and Robert Lewandowski. The Citizens were destined to lose the match but thanks to a double fire from Sergio Aguero who in doing so completed his hat-trick, Man City still have a fighting chance of making it to the next round of the competition.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has already singled out Aguero as being the danger man for Sunday's fixture. The Dutch tactician likened him to Brazilian legend Romario and also threw light on his expansive capabilities.
"The best player to compare to Aguero is Romario," he told reporters. "I played with him [Romario]. Sometimes you think he's sleeping, then in one split second he's scoring. It's a big quality.
"That means a lot of concentration for defenders. He's always fast, always on the line of sight. That's his best quality."
"That's the nicest part of football; you can't do everything to stop a player. It's one of the best players, the player who makes the difference between winning and not winning for City."
"They have a strong squad, good players, but in the last few games Aguero makes the difference, scoring and creating."
However Sergio Aguero will not be able to do everything on his own when his side faces Southampton on Sunday. The Saints have exceeded expectations and have started this season very strong. Ronald Koeman's men are unbeaten in their last six matches and only a good team performance will allow City to pick a win over them.
Luckily talismanic midfielder Yaya Toure who started the season slowly has now picked up form and after an impressive performance against Swansea, City fans will be expecting a good performance from their star player this weekend.
The Citizens will once again be unable to make use of the services of David Silva with the Spaniard sidelined with injury but Stevan Jovetic is fit enough to start and is capable of causing a lot of panic in the opposition half.
However City must ensure they maintain the balance and do not get too carried away with their attacking endeavors. The Citizens have managed a clean sheet in just one of their last nine matches and will have to improve defensively if they are to get anything out of the match.
They will have the reliable Vincent Kompany at the heart of the defence but there are doubts over his partner Eliaquim Mangala who despite of having fared well since his big money move has made a few high profile errors something he cannot afford during Sunday's match.
Southampton will be in high spirits and its important Man City do not take them lightly, whereas a lot will be expected from Sergio Aguero it is important that every team member equally contributes if the Citizens are to finish this weekend in second place.
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