Manchester City’s bid to secure a Champions League spot for next season is reaching a critical juncture ahead of their Saturday match at St. Mary’s Stadium against Southampton, who have hopes of kick starting their fight against relegation.
Manchester City earned a 4-1 victory over Liverpool at home in their last Premier League match to extend their unbeaten streak to seven (W6 D1 L0), putting them in second place on 64 points with 10 matches to play. City trail first-placed Arsenal by eight points and lead fifth-placed Manchester United by 14 for a spot in the Champions League.
Southampton sit rock bottom on 23 points, four points adrift of safety with nine matches remaining. Southampton lost their last Premier League match 1-0 at London Stadium against West Ham United, extending their winless streak to four (W0 D2 L2).
When the two sides last met in Premier League action, Manchester City came out on top 4-0 at Etihad Stadium in October. João Cancelo scored first for City in the 20th minute. Phil Foden, Riyad Mahrez, and Erling Haaland also were on the scoresheet.
Manchester City have got the better of Southampton of late, unbeaten in their last five Premier League matches (W3 D2 L0). Southampton are looking for their first league win in games between the two teams since July 2020. City have outscored Saints 11-3 during their unbeaten streak.
Delving into the stats for the season, Manchester City’s most prolific player has been Haaland, who has scored on 28 occasions, including seven match-opening goals. The striker leads the way at the top of the scoring charts in the competition in 2022/2023.
James Ward-Prowse and Ché Adams have proved attacking threats for Southampton this season. Ward-Prowse is the side’s leading scorer with seven goals, two of those having been the crucial first of the match. Nearly as impressive, Adams has netted five times.
Hosts Southampton will seek to address a poor run of results at home this season with four draws, eight losses, and just two wins in 14 Premier League contests. In league matches on the road this season, Manchester City have eight wins, three draws, and three losses. City are looking to add to a four-match away unbeaten streak (W3 D1 L0). The last time they were defeated away was February 5 against Tottenham Hotspur.
In their last six league matches, Southampton have won one, drawn two and lost three. Manchester City, meanwhile, have won five and drawn one in their last six.
