Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the English Premier League match.
After facing Wolverhampton, Manchester City will meet another Premier League outsider. Will it be a tense affair right until the end, and will the midweek Champions League game have an impact?
Southampton
Few anticipated a draw back then. Do Southampton have any chance of taking at least a point? Potentially, as they have been the first to score in matches against Ipswich Town, Arsenal, and Everton. However, they only managed to hold Ipswich Town to a draw, losing to the other two. Not even the experienced Aaron Ramsdale in goal has made a difference for Southampton. The fact that the match is being played at the Etihad Stadium makes it even tougher, as only clubs like Real Madrid, Inter Milan, and Arsenal stand a chance there—and even they haven't won.
Manchester City
Away from home, their opponents might have a higher chance of drawing. Compared to Southampton, Wolverhampton arguably don’t deserve to be so low in the table. They took the game to Chelsea and Aston Villa in the first halves, but ran out of steam over 90 minutes. Even against the champions, Wolverhampton had the upper hand in the first half (0.93-0.64 xG), but it was all Manchester City after the break (0.04-0.99 xG). However, they had to crack the visitors’ defence until the 95th minute before finally succeeding.
Southampton vs Manchester City Prediction
Excluding the relatively minor League Cup, Southampton haven’t beaten a motivated Manchester City side since summer 2020, spanning seven matches. During this run, they managed only two draws, with their last visit to the Etihad ending in a thrashing (4:0). This has all the makings of a similar outcome, so we’ll back the hosts to win with a handicap.
