Manchester City FC vs Southampton FC, Premier League 2022-2023, Today Match Prediction

Manchester City FC vs Southampton FC Match Prediction & Analysis

Last weekend, we witnessed a special performance by Manchester City. The English champions were rampant in the first half especially, putting four goals past a United side that didn’t know how to deal with them.

Although United scored three in the second half, it didn’t take anything away from the result for Pep Guardiola’s men. 

They will have seen it as just another victory however, to add to their many over the years. Here, they will be just as focused, knowing that they must continue to win in order to catch Arsenal at the top.

As for Southampton, they are in the middle of another bad patch of form under Ralph Hasenhuttl. Three defeats in a row and five from their eight games so far. 

More questions are continuing to be asked about the manager’s future, especially with other clubs making changes in recent weeks.

A heavy defeat here could spell disaster for them.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Manchester City FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful:

     Huge win over United will have further boosted confidence

     Lost just one of their last 12 games against Saints

Reasons to be fearful:

     Couldn’t manage victory in two meetings with Southampton last season

     Southampton will be more compact than United

Ironically, this may be a more difficult game for City compared with their huge win last weekend.

United had too many gaps in their defence and looked to press forward and score goals themselves. Saints will be more compact this weekend, knowing that they can try and frustrate City’s attackers. 

In truth, most are expecting another heavy win for Manchester City. When you have Erling Haaland in the form of his life, in addition to the likes of De Bruyne, Foden and Bernardo Silva, any scoreline is possible.

Strangely, City couldn’t manage to beat Southampton either home or away last season. The Saints were compact and defended well and came away with two draws.

The mood that City are in here, however, you would expect a big City win. It’s just a question of how many can they get?

Star Man – Erling Haaland

Who else? The striker has scored a barely believable three hattricks in a row in the Premier League. He now has 19 goals in 12 appearances this season.

Southampton FC Preview

Reasons to be cheerful

     Managed to earn two draws against City last season

     Armstrong and Larios passed late fitness tests

Reasons to be fearful

     Earned just 12 points from the last 60 available

     More are starting to call for the manager’s sacking

Unfortunately for Southampton, calls for their manager to be sacked have never been louder. 

They’ve had poor spells of form over Ralph Hasenhuttl’s tenure so far, but it seems that many fans have simply had enough of what they’re seeing.

These fans are also seeing other clubs change their managers in recent weeks, such as Chelsea, Brighton, Bournemouth and Wolves. There will be more to follow.

Against City, they must be as compact as possible and frustrate City for as long as they can. They have defenders capable of doing so, especially the youngster Bella-Kotchap.

In their last defeat, against Everton, the Saints took the lead before going on to lose. 

Will they have a goal threat here against the champions?

Star Man – James Ward-Prowse

The midfielder is arguably the Saints’ best player, but he’ll have to work hard without the ball here. His set pieces could be vital in creating chances for his team.