Kick-off: 1730, 08/04/2023
Stadium: St Mary’s Stadium
TV: Sky Sports
Southampton’s task of staying in the Premier League will not get any easier when they host Manchester City on Saturday.
Saints are rooted to the bottom of the table after a four-match winless run, while City are hot on the heels of leaders Arsenal following four consecutive victories.
An away win to nil at 19/20 is our first Southampton vs Man City prediction.
Southampton cut adrift
Saints had breathed fresh life into their survival bid with wins over Chelsea and Leicester, plus impressive draws against Manchester United and Tottenham, but last weekend’s defeat at West Ham left them in deep trouble.
Ruben Selles’ side sit four points from safety and have played a game more than their relegation rivals.
“I am not going to focus on relegation or the table, I am going to focus on the things I can control,” said Selles.
“I know the other teams are playing and they can win or lose, but I can affect nothing at all.
“All I can affect is to prepare my team for the next match and elevate them for that period to compete against any team and Manchester City are as good as anyone in the Premier League.
“That is my focus. We have been in a complicated situation for the whole year. Thinking about that only takes energy away from thinking about what is important for me, which is my players.”
Saints may have pulled off a shock 2-0 win over City in the Carabao Cup in January, under former boss Nathan Jones, but they shipped four goals in their two games against Pep Guardiola’s side before that.
Looking at the Southampton vs Man City odds, the visitors to be leading at half-time and full-time at 78/100 appeals.
City in fine form
Adding FA Cup and Champions League into the equation, City have won seven in a row and netted 27 goals.
Jack Grealish inspired City to a 4-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday with Erling Haaland absent, scoring and providing an assist, with Ilkay Gundogan, Julian Alvarez and Kevin De Bruyne also on target after Mohamed Salah put the visitors ahead.
The England international said: “When we play like we did we are near-enough unstoppable, so fingers crossed it can continue.
“I thought we were brilliant, especially in the second half, and it shows what we are about. All we can do is keep winning our games.
“We’ve got another big game at Southampton next week, where we lost in the cup earlier in the season, and all we can do is keep winning and put more pressure on Arsenal.”
Grealish to net again anytime at 12/5 is our final Southampton vs Man City prediction.
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