Southampton – Manchester City : Preview & Prediction
One of Southampton’s glaring weaknesses was exposed again last time out when they conceded their 12th set-piece goal of the Premier League (PL) season to lose 1-0 to West Ham. Despite others above them losing in midweek clashes, their position at the bottom of the table looks increasingly ominous after failing to win any of their last four league games (E2, P2).
That’s far from ideal preparation for facing reigning PL champions Manchester City, but they did win in the last meeting here in January when they won 2-0 in the League Cup. Perhaps a crumb of consolation can be drawn from their mixed home PL record of late (G1, E1, P1), which coincidentally dovetails with their recent head-to-head record at St Mary’s in PL.
Man City have now made it seven wins in a row after a 4-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday that saw them score four or more goals for the third straight game and prompted manager Pep Guardiola to declare it was “almost the perfect performance.” They need more of that if they are to close the eight-point gap to Arsenal at the top of the table, so don’t expect respite here, especially if Erling Haaland is fit to return.
That’s a daunting prospect for any team, particularly as his goals have helped the Cityzens go four PL away games without defeat (G3, E1), all games that included goals after the 75th minute. Despite that, City have only scored twice on the road during that period in the league this season, so they may be keen to get everything served up as quickly as possible.
Players to watch: Theo Walcott scored and assisted in Southampton’s last home game and has recorded five career goals against Man City, four of which came before halftime. City’s Jack Grealish was widely praised for his performance against Liverpool, which included his third consecutive league goal after 55 minutes.
Key stat: Southampton has not won any of its last seven home league games in which it conceded the opening goal (E2, P5).
Southampton – Manchester City : Betting Tips
Manchester City – Win Odds: 1.25
