PREVIEW: Manchester City v Southampton

Southampton couldn't have been given a tougher start to their first Premier League campaign in seven years.

The Premier League champions will want to get their season off to a hot start - and will see Southampton as the easiest of opening day fixtures.

Last season, City dismantled Swansea in their first Premier League game, and today could be no different.

WIth a lack of top quality signings arriving at St Mary's, Nigel Adkins is under pressure to show his squad are good enough to compete in the Premier League.

Jay Rodriguez has arrived for a whopping £7million from Burnley, but with Rickie Lambert and Billy Sharp already on the books, Rodriguez is unlikely to turn any heads this season.

Southampton's biggest struggle this season will be their defence. A good marker of how good their back line is will come today against City.

With the likes of Carlos Teves, Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and David Silva on show - Kelvin Davis is likely to have a busy return to the top flight.

Saints should not read too much into a possible heavy defeat. It may take Adkins' side a few weeks to find their Premier League feet, and also face Manchester United and Arsenal within their first four games.

Jack Cork will miss the opening game with an ankle injury, while City will be without Gareth Barry and Micah Richards. There are doubts also over the fitness of Mario Balotelli, Jack Rodwell and Joe Hart.

Although such a daunting prospect, an opening day visit to Manchester could be the best time to play City. Despite beaming with confidence from last season's dramatic clinch of the Premier League title - City won't be their best, and with with Saints having nothing to lose - they could cause an upset.

Saints don't have a great track record on the opening day of the season. Last year's win against Leeds was the club's first win since 1999. Although Southampton won't expect a good start, the team will learn an incredible amount in their first 90 minutes of Premier League football.

Southampton return to Premier League after seven years

After seven years, Premier League football returns to Southampton.

The Saints haven't had the easiest of times in recent seasons, but their patient reward is a place in the top flight.

Back-to-back promotions means confidence is high, but questions have been raised over Nigel Adkins' summer signings.

The Saints boss splashed £7million on Burnley's Jay Rodregiez, and he has brought in Nathaniel Clyne from Crystal Palace, Steven Davis from Rangers and Paulo Gazzaniga from Gillingham.

These signings would have been treasured in the Championship, but may struggle to make an impact in the top flight.

Team spirit and youth prospects are once again going to be key for Saints this season, but they still remain favourites for the drop.

The club have been linked with a £12million swoop for Uruguayan midfielder Gaston Ramirez from Bolognia. If the deal goes through, if would be a fantastic signing. However, Southampton have a real lack of Premier League experience.

Kelvin Davis and Adam Lallana are the only squad members to have played in the Premier League for the Saints, and only a handful have played in top divisions.

However, Southampton will look at Norwich and Swansea's performances last season if they need any more motivation.

Southampton are likely to struggle in the Premier League without bolstering their defence. However, today's return to the top flight should be a fitting celebration to the club's struggle over the past seven years.

In 2009, Saints started their League One campaign on minus 10 points after going into administration. Since hitting rock bottom, Saints have gone from strength to strength - and expect confidence to still be high. The club's future is secure, and the Hampshire club get to test themselves against some of the best teams in the world.

BLOG: Why Saints and Pompey need each other

It's hard to know which big club will be the next to struggle to balance the books.

Last month, Glasgow Rangers chairman Sir David Murray angered rivals Celtic after claiming the Hoops would struggle if Rangers were to go bust.

However, there is a lot to be said for local rivalries which set British football above other European leagues.

Across the continent and the world, derby games are the biggest games of the season. However, the Southampton-Portsmouth rivalry is rarely discussed outside of Hampshire.

This weekend's Solent derby showed both red and blue supporters in Hampshire the importance of the fixture.

The game had everything you would expect from a gritty derby game, with both clubs fighting for their lives. Southampton would be favourites against any opposition in the Championship, but form really does fly out the window when local pride is at stake.

Saturday's exhausting game had brilliant goals, late drama, controversial decisions, a potential red card and more passion than a honeymoon.

Portsmouth and Southampton are clearly heading in different directions. The red half of Hampshire are on the cusp on promotion to the Premier League. Meanwhile, Pompey look set for the drop to the third tier of English football.

It is still unclear what the future holds for Pompey. Financial heartache has troubled Portsmouth for several years, and has culminated in administration and a ten-point deduction.

It Portsmouth are to remain in existence after the summer, they should take inspiration from an unlikely source.

Three years ago, Southampton were relegated to League One after entering administration. It has been a long journey, but the Saints have sorted themselves out financially, and are on the verge of rejoining the promised land. It has been a real role reversal in Hampshire. During Southampton's slump to League One, Pompey will finishing comfortably in the Premier League and were still holders of the FA Cup.

A passionate rivalry gives fans and players extra motivation when it is really needed. Had Portsmouth been playing another top team on Saturday, it is likely they would have faltered and come away empty handed.

Only against the Saints would the current Portsmouth team be able to hit a stunning strike, not once but twice - with the last gasp equaliser coming four minutes into injury time.

It looks like the two teams will not meet for a long time, particularly in the league. However, the potential being there for another Solent derby will mean an awful lot to both sets of fans and players.

Southampton have still not beaten Portsmouth in the league since 2004, and it looks set to remain that way for some time. The most passionate of Southampton fans will not want Pompey to go out of business, solely for the selfish reason of wanting to see their side beat their bitter rivals once again.

Match Report Crystal Palace 0-2 Saints

Crystal Palace 0-2 Southampton

Two goals from Rickie Lambert gave the Saints some breathing space at the top of the Championship - as they easily dispatched of Crystal Palace.

Fellow promotion-chasers West Ham were held at home by Birmingham City, meaning Southampton would all but seal promotion to the Premier League with a win over Reading on Friday.

There may have been some doubts about Lambert's fitness during the 2-2 draw against Portsmouth, but the striker showed why he is the Championship's top scorer by adding his 25th and 26th league goals of the season.

Lambert thought he had opened the scoring from a corner, but the striker's header was ruled out after Jose Fonte fouled a Palace defender.

Five minutes before the break the visitors did take the lead. Once again, Palace failed to deal with a good ball in from Danny Butterfield and Lambert was on hand to easily head his side in front.

Dean Hammond's long-range drive narrowly missed the target as Saints looked for a second goal before the break. However, a good counter-attack from the hosts nearly produced an equaliser, when Chris Martin blazed over after a good move from Wilfried Zaha and Sean Scannell.

Southampton had all but tied up three points ten minutes into the second half. Jack Cork laid on the ball for Lambert who turned outside a Palace defender before lashing a powerful shot home.

Palace came more into the game as Southampton sat back. However, the best chance of the closing stages fell to the away side. Some absent defending from the hosts allowed both Fonte and substitute Guly do Prado headed chances at goal, but both could not beat Palace goalkeeper Julian Speroni.

In the end, Southampton cruised to victory in which could have been a banana skin for Nigel Adkins' side. Southampton need seven points from their remaining four fixtures to win promotion to the Premier League. The toughest game of their run-in comes on Friday against second-placed Reading at St Mary's.

Match Report: Saints 2-2 Portsmouth

Southampton 2-2 Portsmouth

A late, late strike from David Norris salvaged an important point for Portsmouth as Southampton returned to the top of the Championship in a thrilling Solent derby.

In what was a hugely entertaining match at St Mary's, Southampton took the lead when Billy Sharp scrambled the ball home just before the half hour mark.

The home side were by no means in control as Portsmouth frustrated the Saints and had their own opportunities.

The visitors did find an equaliser before the break. Chris Maguire stunned St Mary's as he drilled a perfect shot form the edge of the area into the top corner to tie up the scores.

Southampton piled on the pressure, and had several chances to go back in front before the break. However, a string of great stops from Portsmouth goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown kept the scores level after 45 minutes.

Portsmouth should have gone ahead within the first minutes of the second period. Maguire couldn't control his shot and blazed wide from close range.

The second half couldn't quite live up to the intensity of the first 45 minutes. The impressive Adam Lallana creates some great opportunities, but Ashdown was on top form.

Fonte found Lallana in the area and a great turn put him through on goal. Lallana tried to turn past the oncoming Portsmouth goalkeeper, but lost control of the ball.

With time running out, Southampton piled the pressure on the uneasy Portsmouth defence. A great ball in was headed on and Sharp was on hand to side foot the ball home for his second goal of the game.

Initially referee Neil Swarbrick had ruled out the goal for offside, but after consulting with his assistant - the ball has adjudged to have come off a Portsmouth player and Sharp's goal stood.

It looked like Sharp had won the game for Southampton, all but condemning Pompey to the drop. However, deep into four minutes of injury time, Norris unleashed a perfect volley past Kelvin Davis to secure a dramatic point for the visitors.

The points were shared in the Solent derby for the second time this season. The St Mary's clash lived up to all the hype that the teams' first meeting at Fratton Park failed to do. Southampton were the better team, but a Saints win would have been harsh on Portsmouth, who still have a lifeline in escaping relegation to League One.

Southampton return to the top of the Championship table on goal difference against Reading, who Saints face next Friday. Before the crunch game, Southampton face Crystal Palace on Monday as they look for their first win in three attempts.