One of the matches in the 9th round of the English Premier League will take place on Saturday in Manchester, where Manchester City will host Southampton at the Etihad Stadium. Here’s a match preview from the Sportsmacro expert team.
Also read: Brighton vs Wolverhampton prediction, H2H & Probable Line-ups – October 26, 2024
Manchester City
Last weekend, Pep Guardiola’s team faced Wolverhampton at Molineux Stadium. The “Citizens” encountered significant challenges but managed to secure a 2-1 victory, with John Stones scoring the decisive goal. With 20 points, City currently holds second place in the standings, trailing Liverpool by just one point. In midweek, the team played a home fixture against Sparta Prague in the third round of the Champions League, where they dominated the Czech side with a 5-0 win.
Southampton
Following a 1-3 loss to Arsenal, Southampton returned home to face Leicester in the 8th round of the Premier League. The “Saints” dominated the first half, scoring two unanswered goals. However, they faltered in the second half, conceding three goals and ultimately losing 2-3. As a result, Southampton is second from the bottom in the table, with just one point from eight games, sitting three points away from safety in 17th place. The Saints have struggled on the road this season, losing all four of their away matches.
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Key Match Facts
– Both teams scored in three of their last five encounters.
– Over 2.5 goals were scored in three of their last five meetings.
– Both teams have scored in Southampton’s last five matches.
Head-to-Head
In the 2022/23 season, Manchester City defeated Southampton twice in the league—4-0 away and 4-1 at home. However, City did suffer a 0-2 defeat in the League Cup quarterfinals.
Probable Lineups
– Manchester City: Ederson, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol, Lewis, Kovacic, Silva, Gundogan, Grealish, Haaland
– Southampton: Ramsdale, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning, Sugawara, Downes, Aribo, Walker-Peters, Dibling, Fernandes, Stewart
Prediction
The favorite in this match is clear, with bookmakers offering odds of just 1.13 for a Manchester City win. We expect Southampton to face a heavy defeat at the Etihad, possibly failing to score. Our prediction is “Total Over 3.5” goals, with odds of 1.76.
