Southampton FC vs Manchester City FC, English Premier League 2024-25, Today Match Prediction

Southampton FC vs Manchester City FC Match Prediction & Analysis

English Premier League match day 36 kicks off with Manchester City traveling to the south coast to face Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Southampton FC are rooted at the bottom of the table, while the Manchester City are third with three matches remaining. 

It has been a disastrous season for Southampton, who were the first team to be relegated from the Premier League after their defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on April 6th. Southampton now have only three more fixtures to play as they try to avoid the ignominy of matching Derby County's record for the fewest points in a top-flight season (11). Meanwhile, Manchester City are embroiled in a tight contest for a Champions League spot, currently holding a three-point lead over Nottingham Forest in sixth position.

Head to Head Record - Southampton FC and Manchester City squared off 39 times in the Premier League and Manchester City holds a dominant record with 23 wins (10 wins at home, 10 wins away from home) and Southampton won 7 matches (4 at home, 3 away from home) and 9 matches ended in a draw. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Southampton FC Preview

Southampton's struggles continued with a 2-0 away defeat to Leicester City, their 28th loss of the season. The Saints now face a real threat of setting an unwanted Premier League record. One more defeat in their final three matches would see them equal the most losses (29) in a 20-team top-flight campaign, a record currently shared by Sunderland, Derby County, and Sheffield United.

Southampton's recent defensive record makes grim reading, having conceded two or more goals in eight of their last ten league outings. Their vulnerability is particularly pronounced at home, where they have averaged a concerning 2.65 goals conceded per game this season. Alarmingly, they have shipped three or more goals in eight of their last ten home fixtures. Furthermore, history suggests a struggle against their opponents, as Southampton typically score just 0.8 goals per match when facing Manchester City.

Team News

Southampton are still missing Albert Gronbaek (Achilles) and Charlie Taylor (hip). Paul Onuachu is pushing for a start after recovering from an ankle issue, potentially replacing Ross Stewart. Kamaldeen Sulemana and Mateus Fernandes are expected to continue in attack, while Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu should start in midfield. Taylor Harwood-Bellis is set to feature in the back three.

Southampton Probable Starting Lineup - Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Stephens; Walker-Peters, Downes, Ugochukwu, Manning; Fernandes, Sulemana; Onuachu

Manchester City FC Preview

The battle for Champions League qualification is intensifying, with Manchester City currently one point ahead of both Newcastle and Chelsea and crucially three clear of Forest with just three matches remaining. An unlikely second-place finish is also within reach, as they trail Arsenal by only three points ahead of the Gunners' clash with Liverpool.

Manchester City travel to St Mary's aiming for their first consecutive away league wins since August and boast an impressive record against bottom-placed teams, unbeaten in their last 29 such Premier League encounters. Since the 2004-05 season, City have a strong record against Southampton, winning 17 of their 25 league meetings, although all three defeats occurred at St Mary's. They won the reverse fixture 1-0 and are aiming for consecutive clean sheets against the Saints for the first time in a decade.

Manchester City's attack has been in fine form recently, having scored at least two goals in five of their last eight league matches. Their recent head-to-head record against Southampton is also dominant; they have avoided defeat in their last five Premier League encounters. On average, Manchester City have proven to be prolific against the Saints, scoring an impressive 2.6 goals per game in these fixtures.

Team News

While Rodri and Nathan Ake have returned to training, this game comes too soon for them, and John Stones and Oscar Bobb remain sidelined. However, Erling Haaland is back in contention after recovering from an ankle injury. Guardiola will decide whether to start Kevin De Bruyne or rest him, with Phil Foden, James McAtee, or Nico Gonzalez potentially stepping in. Manuel Akanji is pushing for his first start since February, which could see Josko Gvardiol move to left-back.

Manchester City Starting Lineup - Ederson; Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly; Gonzalez, Gundogan, Bernardo; Marmoush, Haaland, Doku