Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's (West Gorton), they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894. The club has played at the City of Manchester Stadium since 2003, having played at Maine Road from 1923. The club's most successful period was in the late 1960s and early 1970s when they won the League Championship, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup under the management team of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison.

Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club will compete in the Premier League for the 2012–13 season, having gained promotion in the 2011–12 season, finishing as runners up in the Championship. After 27 years playing top-flight football the club was relegated to the Championship in 2005, before being relegated further to League One in 2009. The club then secured back to back promotions under the new and current management of Nigel Adkins, completing their return to the Premier League on 28 April 2012.