Southampton vs Manchester City Preview With Player Performance Index

Southampton vs Manchester City Preview – Sunday 1:30pm

Second place Southampton welcome third place Manchester City to St Mary’s and there is a lot to play for in Sunday’s early kick-off. Southampton have the opportunity to pull five points clear of their visitors, however should they lose, City will leapfrog them in to second place.

Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin has established himself as one of the Premier League’s best central midfielders this season, and the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index certainly supports that. The Frenchman has completed 760 successful passes, the third highest total in the Premier League, and has a pass completion rate of 89.6%. In addition to his excellent passing ability, Schneiderlin has displayed his willingness to graft for the team, and has covered the most ground in the Premier League, running a total distance of 145.4km this seasons, an average of 12.1km per game.

Nathaniel Clyne is beginning to establish himself as England’s first choice right back, after impressing in both the Premier League and on international duty. Clyne has successfully completed more tackles than anyone in the league (57), and has been extremely strong on the right hand side of Southampton’s defence. Going forward, Clyne has also provided a great threat. He has completed the third highest number of sprints in the league, sprinting a total of 737 times over his first twelve games.

Clyne’s teammate Dusan Tadic sits just behind him in fourth, having completed one less sprint (736). Tadic delivered four successful crosses against West Brom on Monday, taking his total to 24 for the season, meaning he has found his man on more occasions than any other Premier League player. The quality of Tadic’s delivery has resulted in the winger picking up six assists this season, and he is certainly one of the main threats to City on Sunday. Tadic is 31/10 to score any time with 888sport.

City will hope to climb to second place at the final whistle of this match, and put the pressure back on Chelsea at the top of the league. City sit eight points adrift of Chelsea, and two behind Southampton, making this a must win game for the reigning champions.

Yaya Touré has had his doubters this season, however it is difficult to argue with the statistics presented by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Touré has completed the second most passes in the league (876) behind Cesc Fabregas having played a game less, which equates to a pass completion rate of 90.3%. 557 of his passes have been in the opposition half, showing what a huge influence Touré has going forward.

Joe Hart has been impressive this season, with the signing of Willy Caballero bringing out the best in him. The England international has made 2.3 saves for every goal he has conceded and has three clean sheets so far this season. Hart has conceded an average of a goal per game, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

The undoubted star of the City side at the moment is Sergio Aguero, who is in scintillating form and leads the goal scoring charts with twelve goals. The Argentine has recorded more shots on target than any other player in the Premier League with 31. Aguero has scored a goal every 74 minutes on average this season, an extremely impressive record. Aguero is 27/20 to score at anytime with 888sport.

Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars with at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate team.