Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini has praised Southampton's players ahead of their Premier League clash on the South Coast tomorrow.

Dutch tactician Ronald Koeman has managed to steer the Saints to second place, despite a number of key players being sold in the summer.

"Southampton is a very good team with good players and they are playing very well," Pellegrini is quoted as saying by the Manchester Evening News.

"If you review last season, I think Southampton was very near this position in this week. They have very good players and they play well

"I don't know exactly the amount of points, but it was an important team also - especially in the first round of fixtures so for me it is not a surprise."

Pellegrini has confirmed that both David Silva and Edin Dzeko will remain absent for the trip South.