Steven Davis is hoping his golden touch against Manchester City will continue tomorrow.

The Saints midfielder netted in both games between the teams last season and is aiming to be on target at St Mary’s again this weekend.

“I just try and get in the box and, who knows, I might get another one, but I’ll have to be in the starting XI first and foremost,” said Davis.

That seems likely, particularly given the injury concerns Saints have over Morgan Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama.

If he does play, Davis knows that he and the rest of the team will need to be at the top of their game to beat City.

In contrast to Saints, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have won their last three Premier League games. They are also the top scorers in the division.

In fact, the 40 goals they have netted this term is ten more than any other team in the top-flight.

“Looking from the outside, Man City are playing some good stuff at the minute, scoring goals freely, so it’s going to be a tough test for us,” said Davis.

“I think we’re confident any game we go into that we can compete at the best level and cause teams problems.

“It’s just about getting the right balance in terms of defence and attack.

“It’s another game for us to look forward to, and hopefully we can get some points on the board again.”

Saints’ losing streak extended to three games on Wednesday night, after Aston Villa triumphed 3-2 at St Mary’s.

Davis says the club must reverse that run as soon as possible, although he stressed that confidence has not been dented.

“I don’t think it has, but at the same time you don’t want that run to continue,” he said. “You want to stop it as soon as possible.

“We’ve got another home game to look forward to, although it’ll be another test for us, on Saturday, against Man City.

“It’s going to be a tough game, but we need to try and pick up some points as soon as possible.

“It’s three defeats on the trot now, and it’s important we turn that round as soon as possible.”

Davis felt that Saints deserved more from the game against Villa, but admitted they were hurt by conceding some cheap goals.

“I think our performance merited a better result, but we know there’s no easy games in the Premier League,” he said. “We knew Villa were good on the counter attack.

“We’re obviously disappointed with the result, but there’s positives to take.

“But we’re disappointed more so in the manner of the goals we conceded.”