“Pundits Predict Southampton Struggles as Manchester City Eye Big Win”
Manchester City is ready to refocus on the Premier League after a dominant midweek performance in Europe. Pep Guardiola’s squad swept Sparta Prague aside with a 5-0 victory, leaving them in a strong position in the Champions League. Now, they turn their attention to a struggling Southampton side, who are yet to secure a win since returning to the Premier League.
Southampton, under Russell Martin, squandered a two-goal lead against Leicester City last weekend and now face an even tougher task as they head to the Etihad. With Arsenal and Liverpool facing off on Sunday, City has an ideal opportunity to leap to the top of the table. Here’s how three Premier League pundits anticipate the game will play out, including a bold prediction for Erling Haaland from Chris Sutton.
Paul Merson
In his Sportskeeda column, Merson didn’t hold back: “I mean, what will the score be in this one? You guess! Southampton will try to play all their fancy stuff and in the end, they will get shredded to pieces. That’s the only outcome; they will get destroyed by Manchester City. I’m being kind to Southampton here. Honestly, if Pep Guardiola’s team get going, this could be any scoreline.”
Merson’s prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Southampton.
Chris Sutton
Sutton, speaking to BBC Sport, shared a similar sentiment: “I just don’t know how Southampton pick themselves up from last week’s defeat by Leicester, and there is only one outcome here. It will be a rearguard action from the off by Saints – but they will end up losing.” Sutton made a surprising call regarding Haaland, noting, “Everyone in Fantasy Premier League is talking about triple captaining Erling Haaland, but I’m saying Haaland will not score this week either.” Despite this, he expects City to score plenty and keep a clean sheet.
Sutton’s prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Southampton.
Mark Lawrenson
In his Paddy Power column, Lawrenson also expects a comfortable win for City. “Another big, easy win for Manchester City. Like Wolves, I hope Southampton stick with Russell Martin because he’s a good manager and they’ve not been far away from getting some results.”
Lawrenson’s prediction: Manchester City 4-0 Southampton.
All three pundits see this as a one-sided affair, with City poised to exploit Southampton’s vulnerabilities and potentially return to the league summit.
