Relegation favourites Southampton will welcome Premier League defending champions Manchester City to St. Mary’s Stadium this Saturday for the 29th round of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
The Saints’ march to Premier League relegation is unfolding before our eyes, with each passing game confirming the almost inevitable outcome of Championship football next season.
A 1-0 loss to struggling West Ham last time out saw them record their 18th loss of the season (W6, D5) and kept them rooted at the bottom spot after 29 rounds of games. Unfortunately, the result also showed one of their glaring weaknesses as they conceded their 12th Premier League set-piece goal of the season.
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So they will welcome the Premier League top scorers this season to St. Mary’s, looking to stop a run of four games without a win (D2, L2) and also make it two wins in two games against City. Southampton beat City 2-0 the last time both teams met in the Carabao Cup and will need a miracle to extend that decent run against the Premier League holders here.
Pep Guardiola’s side come into this game in hot form, having won their last seven games in all competitions. Their last outing was a mesmerising 4-1 win over rivals Liverpool, helping to keep them within eight points of league leaders Arsenal.
With the Gunners not in action till Sunday when they face Liverpool at Anfield, City will see this as an opportunity to cut the gap to within five points, albeit temporarily. Having not tasted defeat in their last eleven competitive games (W9, D2) while also winning their last three away gans with two clean sheets, they will fancy their chances of getting maximum points against the Saints, who are the league’s joint-lowest scorers.
Meanwhile, Southampton have won none of the last seven home league games in which they conceded the first goal (D2, L5). Click here to get accurate bet tips today.
