Third place Manchester City visit Southampton on Saturday (5.30pm kick-off) hoping to consolidate their position inside the Premier League’s top four.

Pep Guardiola’s men beat struggling Hull City 3-1 last time out to remain four points clear of fifth place Manchester United, and although Jose Mourinho’s side have a game in hand on their neighbours, the Citizens will look to keep putting points on the board and thus keep the pressure on the Red Devils.

And victory at St Mary’s on Saturday would certainly improve their chances of securing Champions League qualification next season, although Claude Puel’s Saints have been much-improved in recent weeks.

The South Coast outfit have beat Crystal Palace and West Brom last week to climb into the top ten, and with four wins from their last six matches, they are in the sort of form which could see them clinch a fourth successive top half finish in the Premier League.

So, with the build-up well underway ahead of Saturday’s encounter, we at Shoot! have selected our ultimate Southampton-Man City five-a-side team from the players available for selection at St Mary’s this weekend…

Fraser Forster

Manchester City’s goalkeeping issues have been well documented this season, with arguably their best shot-stopper playing his trade in Serie A this term.

And that means that Southampton’s Fraser Forster gets the nod in this side, despite having an indifferent season at St Mary’s which has seen him keep five successive clean sheets back in the autumn, and then make errors against Hull, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham over the festive period.

Nonetheless, Forster was excellent in the draw with Bournemouth a few weeks ago and equally as impressive in the Saints’ 1-0 win at West Brom last weekend, so you sense that a return to top form is imminent for the England international.

He comfortably beats Willy Caballero and Claudio Bravo to the goalkeeping spot in this team.

Ryan Bertrand

Like their goalkeeping situation, City’s defensive struggles have been clear to see for much of the campaign, with the full-backs not overly convincing, and the likes of John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi making a few errors as the season has progressed.

And given that Southampton have conceded just two more goals than Guardiola’s side, and kept 11 clean sheets in the Premier League to the Citizens’ eight, they have been impressive at the back, and a key part of that has been the displays of left-back Ryan Bertrand.

The England international has started 21 of their 30 Premier League games this term, netting once and laying on four assists to solidify himself as a key member of Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad.

The 27-year-old is a solid and accomplished Premier League defender, and such is his attacking pedigree, he’s probably the sort of full-back Guardiola would want in his City team.

Yaya Toure

Every five-a-side team needs an industrious midfielder who can turn defence into attack, but also can affect play at both ends of the field.

And although Southampton’s Oriol Romeu is excellent at that, it’s difficult to leave Man City’s Yaya Toure out of the team.

The Ivorian was out in the cold at the start of the campaign, although a brace on his return to the side against Crystal Palace back in October underlined his importance to Guardiola.

The 33-year-old has since become a regular in Guardiola’s side, and just gets the nod ahead of Romeu in this team.

David Silva

Technically, there aren’t many better players in the Premier League than Manchester City’s David Silva.

The Spain international moved to the Etihad Stadium all the way back in 2010, and has since been the heartbeat of the City midfield, netting 37 goals and laying on 63 assists in 215 Premier League appearances.

The 31-year-old has once again been outstanding in the middle for the Citizens this term, scoring five times and laying on eight assists in all competitions, and although Southampton have great attacking talent in Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond, neither of them are as good as Silva.

The Spaniard would be invaluable in any five-a-side team, which makes him a shoe-in in our side.

Sergio Aguero

While Southampton’s Manolo Gabbiadini made a sensational start to life at St Mary’s, and is indeed fit to play on Saturday, it’s difficult to leave City’s Sergio Aguero out of this team.

The 28-year-old is arguably one of the best strikers the Premier League has ever seen, given that he has scored 118 goals in just 175 league matches, and exceeded the 20-goal mark in three of his five full campaigns in England.

With 16 goals in 30 games this time round, Aguero is on his way to beating it again, and although there was speculation about his future given Gabriel Jesus’ arrival and a few high-profile de-selections, the Argentine international has been in excellent form over the past few months.

Four goals in four Premier League matches and 12 goals since the turn of the year, Aguero is once again proving to be one of the most lethal forwards in European football, which is why he gets the nod in this team.