MANCHESTER CITY'S goalscoring juggernaut has come to something of a standstill after two goalless draws in a row and they face a tricky FA Cup visit to Southampton on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola could have forgiven his men for failing to score against Sporting Lisbon at the home in the Champions League – after all, they were 5-0 up from the first leg in Portugal.
However, being held to another goalless draw in London on Monday night against Crystal Palace must surely have set the alarm bells ringing at the Etihad.
City are now just one solitary point ahead of Liverpool, who kept up their end of the bargain by winning at Arsenal.
But Guardiola's men should get back to winning ways against a Southampton side who have well and truly hit the buffers too. A 4-0 thumping at Aston Villa was followed up by a couple of woeful 2-1 home defeats to Watford and Newcastle United at St Mary's.
So perhaps both sides will welcome a break from the league as they chase a place in the FA Cup semi-final.
How the bookies view it
City are mostly hovering between the 1/3 or 1/4 mark and Unibet have moved to 7/20 for an away win. Saints can be backed at 10/1 with Coral and the draw is 22/5 with SBK.
Recent head to heads
Manchester City have twice failed to defeat Southampton this season home and away. Here's the highlights from their meeting at St Mary's below in January which finished a goal apiece. City did win both games last season though.
Players to watch
Former Celtic star Mo Elyounoussi has a decent return of 11 goals this season for club and country and he scored in Saints' last game against Watford. He's 34/5 with SBK to score on Sunday.
Riyad Mahrez has scored 21 goals this season which includes wight goals in bis last ten games. He's 13/10 with Unibet to score in this FA Cup tie.
Anything else catch the eye?
City are going through something of a blip, but so are their hosts and that's likely to see the visitots cruise through to the next round. You would expect City to charge out of the blocks given they have failed to score in their last two games and with a City win too short to back on its own, try and Manchester City half time and full time win at 19/20 with Coral.
Seven of City's last nine games has seen them keep a clean sheet and they should manage it against a Saints side who do not score too many goals. Bet365's 6/5 for a City win to nil appeals.
This FA Cup match between Southampton and Manchester City will be played on Mar 20, 2022 and kick off at 15:00. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs Manchester City prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
