Good afternoon and welcome to LIVE coverage of the day's early kick-off in the Premier League. In store for you today we have title hopefuls Manchester City taking on Southampton from the Etihad Stadium.

The two sets of players are currently lining up in the tunnel ahead of the pre-match formalities. Not long to go until kick-off now...

How do you see this game going today? Will it be a run-of-the-mill victory for City as they continue their charge for Premier League glory, or can the Saints spring a surprise and leave the Etihad with something other than their tail between their legs? Let me know on the comments section at the bottom of the page or on Twitter @JoshuaHayward99.

Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino has made a couple of changes to his side. Goalkeeper Artur Boruc has been forced out through injury, so Pochettino has awarded Paulo Gazzaniga a starting berth. Outfield, and Morgan Schneiderlin comes in for James Ward-Prowse.

Manuel Pellegrini makes just one change from the side that drew with Arsenal. Aleksandar Kolarov is preferred at left-back, replacing Frenchman Gael Clichy. The Chilean coach has continued with Edin Dzeko up front, meaning that Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic start on the bench.

The teams are in - MAN CITY: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov, Navas, Fernandinho, Toure, Nasri, Silva, Dzeko... Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Richards, Garcia, Milner, Jovetic, Negredo /// SOUTHAMPTON: Gazzaniga, Chambers, Fonte, Lovren, Shaw, Cork, Schneiderlin, S. Davis, Lallana, Rodriguez, Lambert... Subs: Cropper, Clyne, Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Guly, Hooiveld, Gallagher.

Southampton's Victor Wanyama was due for an assessment before the game. The former Celtic midfielder has been on the sidelines for a month with a leg injury, but could be in line for a return today. The teams are due to be announced shortly, so we'll see if Wanyama is deemed fit enough to feature for the Saints.

City will be without top scorer Sergio Aguero for today's match. The Argentina striker is back in training after four games out with a hamstring injury but is not yet match-fit and next week's clash with title rivals Liverpool is now the target. Centre-back Matija Nastasic, who has been out for two months with a knee problem, also remains on the sidelines.

A victory for Manuel Pellegrini's side today would see them close to within one point of league leaders Liverpool, who take on West Ham tomorrow afternoon. The Citizens also have a game-in-hand over the Merseyside outfit and will be hoping today can give them a boost in their hunt for a second Premier League trophy in three years.