Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
Southampton
Manchester City
As part of matchday 36 of the English Premier League, Southampton will face Manchester City. The match is set for Saturday, May 10, with kickoff scheduled for 16:00 Central European Time. I'm offering a bet on both the outcome and goals scored in this fixture.
- See also: Bayern Munich vs Borussia Mönchengladbach prediction, H2H and probable lineups — 10 May 2025
Match preview
The Saints have endured a dreadful season, culminating in yet another relegation from the Premier League. In recent years, the team has become a yo-yo club, constantly bouncing between the Premier League and the Championship.
Southampton set a unique league record by losing any hope of survival as early as seven rounds before the end of the campaign. Immediately after this, the club was left without a manager, as Ivan Jurić promptly resigned, unable to turn things around.
The team is now playing out the remainder of the season with no motivation, showing no signs of wanting to go out with a bang. Southampton haven't tasted victory in three months, and at home they've managed a meagre five points. Their only win at St Mary's dates back to November 2, when Armstrong's goal saw off Everton.
By all key metrics, the Saints are the weakest team in the Premier League. In 35 matches, they've scored just 25 goals, but have conceded a staggering 82. It's a grim statistic, so finishing bottom and dropping down a division looks both predictable and justified.
Manchester City have overcome their difficulties and recently returned to winning ways. Just a couple of months ago, Guardiola risked missing out on the Champions League, but now a top-five finish for City looks almost certain.
City have climbed to third place, although they lead sixth-placed Nottingham by only three points. The fixture list also favours the Citizens: after Southampton, they face Bournemouth and Fulham. It's a great opportunity to secure the necessary points—and perhaps even challenge Arsenal for second place.
The key match at this stage of the season is the FA Cup final. Guardiola has a chance to claim his 19th trophy as City's manager. All that stands in his way is Crystal Palace, a task that looks well within reach.
Still, this campaign won't go down as a successful one for the team. The Citizens struggled in Rodri's absence, but he's expected back before the Club World Cup. Guardiola will also have Haaland available for the final matches, as he's now back training with the squad.
Match facts
- Southampton are winless in their last 12 matches.
- The Saints have conceded in each of their last 16 games.
- City are on a five-match winning streak.
- Guardiola's men have kept clean sheets in their last three away games.
- At home, Southampton average 0.6 goals per game, while Manchester City average 1.7 goals per game away from home.
Probable lineups
- Southampton: Ramsdale, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Bednarek, Walker-Peters, Manning, Ugochukwu, Downes, Fernandes, Sulemana, Onuachu.
- Manchester City: Ederson, O'Riley, Gvardiol, Dias, Nunez, Kovacic, Gündogan, De Bruyne, Foden, Silva, Marmoush.
H2H
- Southampton haven't beaten Manchester City in the Premier League since 2020.
- In the last 12 years, the teams have drawn only once at St Mary's.
Prediction
It's hard to see the hosts getting anything from this match. City should be able to collect three points in energy-saving mode against the league's bottom side. I don't expect Southampton to trouble Guardiola's men much, and this should be a relatively straightforward outing for the visitors. With that in mind, I'm backing a win for the Citizens and under 4.5 total goals.
