Manchester City vs Southampton

Manchester City’s Premier League title defense continues at the Etihad Stadium against hot relegation candidates Southampton.

Despite losing star midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri to injuries, Manchester City are relentless, as most recently witnessed by a 5-0 humbling of Sparta Prague in midweek UEFA Champions League action. Pep Guardiola’s men remain the only unbeaten team in the Premier League this season (W6, D2) after John Stones’ 95th-minute winner fired them to a 2-1 comeback win at Wolverhampton last time out. It was Man City’s 31st consecutive unbeaten game in England’s top flight, making for their longest such run in the competition’s history! You’d expect the Citizens to make it 32 against a Southampton side they’ve defeated in ten of their last 14 league meetings (D3, L1). Conceding first would unlikely derail their prospects at the Etihad, considering they’ve won a league-high 13 points from losing positions this season.

In the meantime, Southampton’s proneness to dropping points after taking the lead was their scourge in last weekend’s 3-2 home loss to fellow promoted rivals Leicester City as they threw away a two-goal cushion en route to their third consecutive league defeat. Ominously for under-pressure manager Russell Martin, his side conceded precisely three goals on each occasion. That doesn’t bode well here, knowing Man City netted four goals in each Premier League H2H in 2022/23! With just one point from the opening seven games (D1, L7), the Saints may be staring down the barrel of another heavy defeat at the Etihad, where they last won a top-flight outing in 2004!