Manchester City Eye Premier League Top Spot in Showdown with Southampton
This Saturday, Manchester City will aim to seize the Premier League’s top position as they host Southampton at the Etihad Stadium.
Last weekend, City came close to slipping in their title pursuit when they struggled against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Joško Gvardiol managed to even the score after Jørgen Strand Larsen’s early goal, but City seemed destined to drop points until a last-gasp winner from John Stones salvaged all three for Pep Guardiola’s squad.
City carried that momentum into Europe, delivering a dominant 5-0 performance against Sparta Prague in Wednesday’s Champions League match. Erling Haaland was back to his sensational self, netting twice in the second half to take his Champions League goal tally to a stunning 44.
However, not everyone’s convinced Haaland will find his stride this weekend. Football pundit Chris Sutton doubts the Norwegian striker will end his recent league drought against Southampton. Haaland hasn’t scored in his last three Premier League appearances, and Sutton believes this dry spell might continue.
Yet, Sutton is still betting on a City rout. Predicting a 4-0 win for Guardiola’s side, he wrote in his BBC Sport column, “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. It is a question of how long they can hold out for, and then how many goals Manchester City will score.
“In the Fantasy Premier League community, everyone is talking about triple captaining Erling Haaland, because he has not scored in his past three league games. I’m saying Haaland will not score again, but City will score four and keep a clean sheet for the first time in the Premier League since their opening game of the season. They have to stop conceding eventually, surely.”
City’s title ambitions faced a major setback recently with midfielder Rodri ruled out for the season due to ACL surgery. Despite his absence, the team has managed to push through. Their form has been anything but flawless, but City’s relentless fight keeps them in the hunt for all four major trophies this season.
