Southampton vs. Manchester City: Can Ward-Prowse and Co Stop Guardiola’s Well-Oiled Machine?

March 18, 2022

Benson Chikezie, Senior Author

Having dispatched of Peterborough in the Round of 16, Manchester City now travel to St Mary’s Stadium to take on a Southampton side that defeated West Ham by 3 goals to 1 in the Round of 16. The match is scheduled for the 20th of March, 2022, and the kickoff time is 20:30 IST.

The FA Cup is one of England’s most prestigious competitions. Southampton take on Manchester City for a chance at silverware, while Guardiola’s team, who have won all that there is to win in England, will be looking to complete the treble for the first time in their history.

City could not find a breakthrough after 90 minutes against Crystal Palace, dropping 2 points in their quest for the EPL title, and will hope to rediscover their shooting boots at St. Mary’s. Southampton come into this match on the back of 3 straight losses and are hoping to put in a giant-slaying performance in this encounter.

Teams Status

Here is the latest form and team news from Southampton and Manchester City.

Southampton Form and Team News

Three straight losses in the league put a halt to a 7-match unbeaten run by the Saints, in which they won 5 and drew 2 in all competitions. Those 3 losses have been devastating, as they have been unable to find their scoring boots, scoring only twice and conceding 8 goals.

Either way, Southampton have improved remarkably this season, winning against Tottenham and managing draws against both Manchester clubs. They sit 10th in the league with 35 points and have scored 39 goals and conceded 45. Perhaps their major challenge this season has been in defense, and that is one area Manchester City will hope to exploit them.

For their team news, The Saints will be without Alex Lyanco and Nathan Tella, who are out with hamstring and groin injuries, respectively.

Manchester City Form and Team News

Pep Guardiola will be incensed by his team’s inability to score against Crystal Palace, where they dropped two points and blew the title race open. They have now gone two games without a goal, the first being against Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League. City failing to score in a game is an unlikely phenomenon, and the last time it happened was in a loss to Crystal Palace in October.

City brushed Peterborough aside in the last round and will hope to keep their treble dreams alive as they visit Southampton. Their last meeting ended in a draw, and with City failing to find the net in 2 consecutive games, they will be in a murderous mood from the outset. With the abundance of attacking talent at their disposal, scoring goals should not be a problem for Guardiola’s team.

For injuries and suspensions, City will be without talismanic defender Ruben Dias who is injured, and Benjamin Mendy, who has long been suspended.

What Do the Sportsbooks Say?

Southampton	Draw	Manchester City
10.00	6.00	1.30
11	6.05	1.315
11	6.05	1.315

Manchester City have made a name for themselves in English football recently and can lay claim to being arguably the best team in England. It is unsurprising to see them named favorites to win in almost all their fixtures. The odds for a Southampton win on the Parimatch sportsbook are placed at 10.00, a draw is at 6.00, and a win for City is placed at 1.30.

On the Paripesa sportsbook, the odds for all three outcomes are as follows: 11, 6.05, and 1.315, respectively. The Melbet sportsbook features similar odds, with a win for the home side at 11 odds, a draw at 6.05 odds, and a win for Manchester City at 1.315 odds.

Tipster’s Angle

City are firm favorites to win this knockout tie, and they know how to exert their dominance on matches like this. In their last two games, they were rather unsuccessful at turning their dominance into goals and will hope to do better this time around.

Southampton have performed well against superior opposition this season, even holding Manchester City to a draw in January 2022. Here are our tips for this fixture:

Tip: Manchester City To Win @ 1.30

City have an excellent record against Southampton with 7 wins, 2 draws, and 1 defeat in their last 10 meetings. Interestingly, the last 2 meetings between both sides ended in draws. However, the FA Cup playoff stage means either team has to win, or the game goes into extra time.

With City’s tight schedule, they will look to avoid taking the game to extra time. We expect Manchester City to make up for their shortcomings in their last two fixtures and win this game. Manchester City to win is available on the Parimatch sportsbook at 1.30 odds.

Tip: Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.155

Southampton will be a tough nut for City to crack, but their poor form over their last three games will dampen their confidence going into this encounter. They have also been suspect to conceding goals recently, a weakness which Manchester City will certainly exploit. We expect a multi-goal result, and over 1.5 goals is available on the Paripesa sportsbook at 1.155 odds.

Conclusion

City are looking to keep their treble dreams alive, while Southampton look to arrest the poor form that has seen them lose 3 straight matches. It is a winner-take-all game, and we expect an exciting match with high-end intensity, especially from the visitors.

Benson Chikezie

20:38, 18 Mar 2022

Senior Author

Benson Chikezie

Senior Author

20:38, 18 Mar 2022

Benson Chikezie is a Nigerian-based writer with many years of experience in the sports betting industry. He is a digital marketer by profession. Benson has written many sports related contents for various websites.