THE Manchester City juggernaut is starting to hit top gear and you fear for Southampton as they head to the Etihad for a daunting Premier League clash with Erling Haaland and Co.
This is City's third home game in a row and they head into it having netted 11 goals across thumping victories over Manchester United and FC Copenhagen.
Deadly striker Haaland hit his third hat-trick of the season in that 6-3 derby romp and would probably have grabbed another had Pep Guardiola not taken him off at half-time after netting twice against the Danes.
That 5-0 Champions League victory brought up two of my bets and it's hard to see anything except another comfortable victory when a struggling Saints side come calling.
Ralph Hasenhuttl's men made a decent start to the season but they have hit a bump in recent weeks, losing three games in a row to drop dangerously close to the drop zone.
They need to start putting more points on the board but it would be a major surprise if Southampton picked up anything at the Etihad against a Manchester City side in such thrilling form.
How the bookies view it
It's no surprise to see Southampton as big as 22/1 at Coral while Man City's best price is a tiny 2/13 at VBet. Even the draw would be a massive shock and that's priced 19/2 at SBK.
Recent head to head
Saints have decent record against Guardiola's side in the last few seasons, with just three of the last six meetings ending in City victories. Both Premier League matches ended in draws last season, although Manchester City strolled to a 4-1 victory at St Mary's in the FA Cup.
Players to watch
Kevin De Bruyne was rested in midweek but will take his usual place in Guardiola's midfield for this one. The Belgian is 15/8 at Betfred for anytime scorer but is more likely for an assist as he has been supplier in chief for goal machine Haaland. The only assist market I can see at the moment is at Unibet where De Bruyne is 19/20.
Joe Aribo hasn't been a regular starter for Southampton since his move from Rangers but has still chipped in with two goals from midfield. One of those came last week against Everton and the Nigerian international is 8/1 at Betfred for a goal at the Etihad.
Anything else catch the eye?
It's hard finding value on any Manchester City bets but Betfair price them at evens to win both halves and that looks the best option. The corner market is also worth a look with City winning 11-1 and 10-1 on that count in home games against Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. Manchester City -5 pays 11/10 at Bet365 in the handicap and that seems good value.
Southampton new boy Duje Caleta-Car collected nine yellows and a red last season and that makes him a good candidate to fall foul of the referee in this one. The former Marseille stopper is 9/2 at Bet365 for a card.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton will be played on Oct 8, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Southampton prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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