Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he is expecting a tough game against an in-form Southampton side at St Mary’s Stadium on Saturday.

The Blues will be hoping to secure their second consecutive victory when they take on the Saints, who have won their last two games, against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League.

City are currently placed fourth in the Premier League standing with 61 points, having won 18 out of 31 matches played so far this season, while Southampton occupies ninth place with 40 points.

The 46-year-old manager admits that he has been impressed by Claude Puel’s side ‘exceptional’ form this season while adding that he expects a ‘good’ test against Southampton on Saturday.

‘Southampton are having an exceptional season,’ Guardiola told the Manchester City website.

‘They have a good manager and players in all positions. They have very good midfielders, the strikers are so fast, the wingers can play inside, all of them good quality.

‘I was really impressed when they came here in what was a busy time for us. It will be a really good test.’

However, Guardiola will be without the likes of Ilkay Gundogan (knee) and Gabriel Jesus (foot), who remains on the sidelines with their respective injuries.

The Spanish boss revealed that captain Vincent Kompany is fully fit after suffering a small injury following his impressive 90 minutes against Chelsea last week.

‘After the game against Chelsea he had a little problem in his legs, and we didn’t want to take the risk, but of course, the good news is he was able to play 90 minutes in a tough game at Stamford Bridge at a high level.’ he added.

City will be hoping to maintain their place in the Premier League top four when they take on Southampton on Saturday.

The match at St Mary’s Stadium kicks off at 18:30.