Manchester City vs Southampton Predictions

• Manchester City have not lost any of their last 31 Premier League matches.
• Both teams have scored in each of Manchester City’s last seven league games.
• Southampton have found the net in five of their last six outings.

Hefty City win looks likely at the Etihad

Premier League champions Manchester City have the chance to put themselves in the familiar position of being top of the table on Saturday when they face struggling Southampton the day before leaders Liverpool face a crunch trip to Arsenal.

The Citizens have fallen a point behind Arne Slot’s Reds following draws against Newcastle and the Gunners, and they needed a late goal from John Stones to win last week against Wolves, a team like the Saints who have claimed a solitary point from their opening eight matches.

It seems City have not quite hit top gear and hotshot striker Erling Haaland has not scored for three matches, but there should be plenty of goals for them to plunder against the Saints, who have conceded three times in each of their last three games and shipped just as many at home to Manchester United and at Brentford earlier in the campaign.

Russell Martin’s side face a massive task to stay in the top flight, but they might take heart from the fact their hosts have not kept a home clean sheet in their last eight league games at the Etihad.

In recent home outings, City have conceded first against Ipswich, Brentford and Fulham while Stones had to rescue them again with an injury-time equaliser against Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola’s team are capable of simply flicking a switch against this standard of opposition and there is a similar chance that they can just run riot, so expect them to win a match that features at least four goals.

Saints could still cause problems

City won’t sit back if they have put themselves in a strong position and it is perhaps an ominous sign for the Saints that their opponents posted a 5-0 Champions League win over Sparta Prague in midweek and that Haaland was back in the goals with a brace against the Czech outfit.

Southampton gained their only point against fellow promotees Ipswich and they need to pick themselves up from the disappointment of allowing a two-goal lead to slip in their 3-2 loss to Leicester last week.

However, they did take the lead in their 3-1 defeat at Arsenal and have scored in all but one of their last six league games, so correct-score fanciers may want to look at backing a 4-1 City victory, as their defence has been far from firm in the last few weeks.

Foden can seize his chance

The City faithful will expect Haaland to be back at the top of his game, but one player who will have been relieved to have contributed positively against Sparta was Phil Foden, who has had a frustrating season so far.

The local favourite has struggled for game time and has yet to score in the Premier League this season, but he has looked strong in his Champions League performances, having 13 goal attempts, six of which have been on target, in his three outings.

Foden has scored against Slovan Bratislava and in the midweek win over Sparta, so he can transform that form to the domestic stage against the south-coast strugglers.