Time is of the essence for both sides when Manchester City visit Southampton for an English Premier League match Saturday at St. Mary's Stadium. With 10 games left, City (20-4-4) are second in the Premier League table, eight points behind Arsenal, as they attempt to defend their title. The Saints (6-5-18) are in last place and desperate to avoid relegation. They are within four points of five teams ahead of them, so a positive result would be massive. Southampton battled to a 3-3 draw with Spurs before the break, but that was tempered by a 1-0 loss to West Ham last Sunday. City come off a 4-1 rout of Liverpool, dominating despite top scorer Erling Haaland sitting out with a groin injury.
Kickoff in Southampton, England is set for 12:30 p.m. ET. City are -410 favorites (risk $410 to win $100), with Southampton +1200 underdogs, in Caesars Sportsbook's latest Southampton vs. Manchester City odds. A draw is priced at +450 and the over/under for total match goals is listed at 2.5. Before locking in any Manchester City vs. Southampton picks, you need to see the English Premier League predictions from proven SportsLine soccer insider Martin Green.
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Green is 67-73-1 (+3.02 units) on his SportsLine soccer picks in 2023, and he is 42-46 in his predictions on England's league and domestic cup competitions. Anybody following him has seen profitable returns.
Now, Green has broken down the Man City vs. Southampton match from every angle and just locked in his picks and Premier League predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Southampton vs. Man City:
- Man City vs. Southampton spread: City -1.5 (-135)
- Man City vs. Southampton over/under: 2.5 goals
- Man City vs. Southampton money line: City -410, Southampton +1200, Draw +450
- MCY: The Cityzens have a 27-2 goal advantage over their past seven opponents
- SOU: The Saints have kept one clean sheet in 14 league home matches
- Man City vs. Southampton picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back Manchester City
Haaland returned to training this week and could be ready, but the Cityzens showed they have more than enough firepower. Manager Pep Guardiola has plenty of options, and midfielder Kevin de Bruyne will get the best out of any of them. He leads the Premier League with 13 assists and 146 shot-creating actions. He also scored his fifth goal Saturday, and Jack Grealish, Ilkay Gundogan and Julian Alvarez also got on the board. City won the last league match between these teams 4-0, making them 9-3-1 in the past 13 league meetings. They had a 21-5 shot advantage, 8-0 on target.
The Cityzens will hold the ball throughout, as they have a possession rate more than 20% higher. They lead the league at 64.4%, while the Saints are at 45.5. City are a league-best plus-45 in goal differential this season, while Southampton are minus-24 and have scored 48 fewer goals overall (23-71). The hosts have conceded 24 goals in 14 home games while scoring 14. The Saints won the most recent meeting 2-0, but that was an EFL Cup match. Guardiola kept Haaland and de Bruyne on the bench until the game was essentially decided, and No. 1 goalkeeper Ederson didn't play.
Why you should back Southampton
The Saints have been up and down, but they can be a handful for even the best teams at times. They beat Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge in February and scraped out a 0-0 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford last month. The draw with Spurs was a thrilling affair, with Southampton rallying from a two-goal deficit in the last 15 minutes and James Ward-Prowse scoring the equalizer on a penalty. The midfielder can change games on set pieces and is the team's leading scorer with seven goals. He is second in the Premier League in crosses (206).
Che Adams has scored five goals, including the opening goal to equalize against Tottenham. Theo Walcott spurred the comeback with his goal in the 77th minute, his first goal in 11 appearances. Southampton play a rough game that could be frustrating for the visitors, and they do a good job of limiting shots on target. They are third in the league in fouls (345) and tackles (564) and have blocked 398 shots, second-most in the league. They beat City 2-0 in the EFL Cup quarterfinals in January despite yielding 72% possession.
How to make Southampton vs. Manchester City picks
Green has scrutinized the Southampton vs. Manchester City match from every angle, and he is leaning Over on the goal total. He provides two other confident best bets, including one that offers a plus-money payout, and his full breakdown of the match. He's only sharing his picks at EPL analysis at SportsLine.
So, who wins Manchester City vs. Southampton? And where does all the betting value lie? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for Southampton vs Manchester City, all from the European soccer expert who knows the sport inside and out, and find out.
