Manchester City are set to face Southampton on Saturday, 26 October in a Premier League clash that looks extremely daunting for the visitors on paper.
The Saints come into the game on the back of a crushing 3-2 defeat to Leicester and Russel Martin's job is believed to be now hanging by a thread.
The Blues, on the other hand, come into this match with a spring in their step after John Stones' last-minute winner against Wolves last weekend and a thumping 5-0 win in the Champions League.
How the bookies view it: City start as huge favourites
Man City are more than accustomed to being odds-on favourites for home matches in the Premier League and they are once again this weekend. Betfred have priced a Man City win as short as 1/9 while a win for Southampton has been priced at a whopping 22/1. The draw, which would be a brilliant result for the Saints, has been priced at 9/1.
Recent head-to-head: Advantage Man City
Unsurprisingly, Man City have the better of the recent head-to-head record with Southampton and have won three of their last four meetings with the Saints. Southampton do have a recent win over City under their belts, thanks to a 2-0 victory in the Carabao Cup back in the Citizens' treble campaign. Their last league triumph over City was back in 2020.
Players to watch: Can Foden make his mark?
Phil Foden was arguably Man City's best player last season, scoring 26 goals and providing 12 assists for the Blues as they won their fourth league title in a row. For whatever reason, the playmaker hasn't featured regularly so far this season with Guardiola using him more from the bench.
Foden did get a start in City's midweek Champions League clash against Sparta Prague and managed to get himself on the scoresheet. That goal and performance came on the back of his cameo at Wolves where his corner found John Stones' head to give them a vital three points at Molineux.
For the first time this season, the England international appears to have wind in his sails and momentum behind him so it would be a surprise to see him back on the bench. Can he produce the goods again at the Etihad Stadium and lead the Blues to another big win in front of their home supporters?
Predicted line-ups
Man City are without some important players for this one with Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, Rodri, Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker all missing. Southampton have issues of their own with Ryan Fraser missing due to suspension and Gavin Bazunu, Ross Stewart and Will Smallbone all out injured. Jack Stephens is set to return after serving his suspension.
Manchester City: Ederson – Lewis, Stones, Dias, Gvardiol – Kovacic, Nunes – Savinho, Bernardo, Foden – Haaland
Southampton: Ramsdale – Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis – Aribo, Downes, Fernandes, Manning – Dibling, Archer
Anything else catch the eye?
Manchester City have been among the goals in recent weeks and have scored a total of 14 goals in their last four outings – an average of 3.5 goals per match. Man City to score over 3.5 goals has been priced at 6/5 by Betfred.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Southampton will be played on Oct 26, 2024 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.
