Manchester City vs Southampton prediction: ENGLAND: Premier League betting tips on match 2022-10-07 14:00.
The Premier League (PL) title race is in full swing with Manchester City aiming to continue their unbeaten start (W6, D2) and keep the pressure on league leaders Arsenal. With the North London side just one point ahead, the reigning PL champions are unlikely to be concerned just yet, particularly as they demolished rivals Manchester United 6-3 last Sunday, although as a typical perfectionist Pep Guardiola still labelled his sideâs performance in that derby demolition as ââsloppyââ.
That derby victory was followed by a 5-0 thrashing of Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League, marking 11 consecutive wins at home for the Sky Blues and a historic 100th win in European competition. That fine form is arguably down to Cityâs prolificacy in front of goal and with 29 PL strikes this season theyâve already scored nine more than the second-highest goalscoring side (Arsenal). With menacing striker Erling Haaland breaking another record last weekend after becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in three successive PL home games, City look primed to go top of the league with a victory here, at least until Arsenal play on Sunday.
Itâs perhaps not an ideal time for opponents Southampton to visit then, especially as theyâve won just one of their last 11 away encounters in the PL, and come into this game after succumbing to a 2-1 home defeat to Everton last weekend. In fact, Southamptonâs five defeats after eight games played is their joint-most since their last promotion to the PL in 2012/13, although manager Ralph HasenhĂŒttl recently stated he is "convinced" his side are playing the right way.
Convinced or not, the reality remains that Southampton have conceded first in 13 of their last 14 PL away contests, and it appears vital that they avoid extending that streak if they are to get a shock result in this match.The Saints will, at least, find some comfort in the knowledge that they held City to a pair of draws in the PL last season, which included a stubborn performance in a 0-0 stalemate – one of only two occasions last PL campaign where City failed to score at home.
Key battle: Cityâs Haaland is currently topping the divisionâs goalscoring charts and the forward will look to add to his 14 goals – which is already a record tally for a player after their first eight PL games. Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters has the unenviable task of stopping the Norwegian and trying to help his side keep their first away league clean sheet since October 2021, but he may cause a nuisance at the other end after scoring the last time these sides met in the PL.
Hot streak: Manchester City have scored three or more goals in eight consecutive PL home games.