Kevin De Bruyne is expected to return to the starting lineup for Manchester City's Premier League encounter against Southampton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
After providing two assists in City's 6-3 derby victory over Manchester United last weekend, the 31-year-old was left on the substitutes' bench for the comfortable 5-0 win at home against Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Regarded as one of the best playmakers in world football, De Bruyne has already made an impressive start to the 2022-23 season, providing 10 assists for Pep Guardiola's side in 11 games across all competitions including eight in as many Premier League matches.
The Belgium international has also had plenty of joy in front of goal in previous meetings with Southampton, and here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at how he has fared against the Saints over the years.
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Since joining Man City from Wolfsburg in 2015, De Bruyne has faced Southampton 12 times across all competitions, winning eight of those with three draws and only one defeat.
In that time, De Bruyne has recorded five goals against the Saints; only against Arsenal, Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers has the Belgian scored as many against a single opponent in his club career.
The playmaker has also registered eight assists versus the South Coast outfit; only against Watford (10) has he provided more assists against the same team in his club career.
De Bruyne's first appearance against Southampton was certainly a memorable one as he scored the opening goal before providing two assists in a 3-1 home victory for Manuel Pellegrini's side in November 2015. Incredibly, De Bruyne is the only remaining player in the current City team to have been involved in the matchday squad for this fixture.
After drawing a blank in front of goal in a 1-1 home draw in October 2016, De Bruyne contributed to five of City's next six goals across three matches against Southampton, recording one goal and four assists. A memorable 2-1 victory at the Etihad in November 2017 saw De Bruyne's deflected free kick opening the scoring before he assisted Raheem Sterling for a dramatic 96th-minute winner.
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De Bruyne then endured an injury hit 2018-19 campaign and missed both games against the Saints, before failing to contribute with either a goal or an assist in two league fixtures against them the following season. The 2019-20 season also saw De Bruyne watch on from the substitutes' bench for the first and only time against Southampton in the 3-1 EFL Cup win on home soil.
Since then, the playmaker has registered an attacking return in four of City's last five meetings against Southampton. As captain, the Belgian provided an assist for Sterling to score the only goal in a slender 1-0 Premier League away win in December 2020, and just three months later he scored a brace in a 5-2 home victory, which was behind closed doors amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Last season, De Bruyne and co were frustrated by the Saints who played out a goalless draw at the Etihad, but City's No.17 had more joy at St Mary's as he set up Aymeric Laporte to rescue a point in a 1-1 Premier League draw in January, before finding the net in a 4-1 FA Cup quarter-final win two months later.
Considering his impressive start to the 2022-23 campaign, De Bruyne will be confident of adding to his goal and assist tallies against Southampton this weekend. Should the Belgian provide two assists, he would become the first player in Premier League history to record a brace of assists in three successive games in the competition.
Oliver Thomas
