Premier League preview and tips: Manchester City title chase to gather pace at Southampton
Manchester City's Kevin De Bruyne, right, celebrates with teammate Jack Grealish
Struggling Southampton face the unenviable task of needing to beat title-chasing Manchester City to avoid being cut adrift at the foot of the table.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Premier League, Saturday, April 8, kick-off 5:30pm, Sky Sports
Predicted score
Suggested bets:
Man City to score in both halves
Manchester City -2 Asian Handicap
Key stats
All of Southampton's victories have come against teams in the bottom half
City have won their last seven games, outscoring teams 27-2 in the process
Southampton have picked up three points in seven fixtures with top-five teams
Team news
Juan Larios, Tino Livromento, and Armel Bella-Kotchap will miss out due to injury, whilst Che Adams and Mohammed Salisu are doubtful.
Phil Foden will miss out for Manchester City, but it remains to be seen if they'll have Erling Haaland. The Premier League's top scorer will be assessed on the day.
Verdict
Since Rubén Sellés and his coaching staff masterminded a 1-0 win over Chelsea, Southampton have managed just one win in the seven games since.
Time changes perspective and since then it's become apparent that their 1-0 victories against Chelsea and Leicester were a case of one team in turmoil beating another.
It doesn't get any easier on Saturday evening as they welcome defending champions Manchester City to St Mary's. Pep Guardiola's men have no room for error as they continue to chase down Arsenal.
Manchester City are unbeaten in 11 and they've won their last seven in devastating fashion. Erling Haaland, Kevin de Bruyne, and more importantly Julian Alvarez have been amongst the goals on a regular basis.
The latter of those contributors might be asked to shoulder the burden upfront with Erling Haaland in a race against time to be fit. Alvarez has proven himself a very capable deputy with six Premier League goals to his name.
City have really kicked into gear in the past month and have started to resemble the all-conquering team we're used to seeing in the months of April and May.
Their relentless assault on their opponent's goal has seen them put seven past RB Leipzig, six past Burnley, and four past Liverpool in their last three outings.
Despite their chaotic 3-3 draw with Spurs, you do have to credit the Saints with being a more resilient bunch since Nathan Jones was sacked, but they continue to lack quality in front of goal.
Southampton have managed three goals from open play in their last 10 games, which suggests they'll need the most unlikely of defensive masterclasses here.
City went unbeaten through April and May last season and scored at least two goals in every game. Their imperious run of form suggests they're not giving up their title without a fight and Southampton could be their latest victim.
- George Dempsey also provides MLS tips as MLS Betting UK 2023 on Tipstrr
