Nathan Jones’ appointment at Sou𒐪thampton hasn’t had the desired impact. Southampton’s form is dire ahead of 𓆏this League Cup clash with Manchester City.
This fixture might not be a priority for Pep Guardiola with a Manchester derby looming at tꦏhe weekend, but we can still expect a strong team from the defending Premier League champions.
For Southampton, avoiding a🌠 heavy defeat has to be the primary goal here.
A further hit to their confidence would have more significant repercussions f𓃲or their season beyond being eliminated from this competition.
Win To Nil: Manchester City
Amid six consecutive Prꦚemier League defeats, the League Cup has provided some respite for Southampton.
Beating Sheffield Wednesday and Lincoln is not the same as facing Manchester City, however, and it 🤡is hard to see how the home team are competitive in this match.
They were thumped four goals to nil when the teams met at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season. Look for this fixt💃ure to follow a similar pattern, with City dominating possession and carving Southampton open at will.
Anytime Goalscorer: Julian Alvarez
This fixture seems a good opportunity for Guardiola to give Erlin💫g Haaland a rest. The Manchester derby on Saturday is the priority for C🍒ity in their efforts to chase down Arsenal.
Julian Alvarez has been a great deputy for the Norwegian thus far and performed superbl♛y for Argentina in Qata▨r.
Despite only eight starts at club level this season, Alvarez already has eight goals to his name. He is a great p🌺rice to get on the scoresheet here.
Total Goals: Over 3.5
Three of Southampton’s last five league matches have gone over 3.5 total goals. The opponentsꦜ have done most of the scoring, and that is how this match is expected to🎐 play out.
✤There ﷺhave been some lower-scoring fixtures involving City of late, but they are no strangers to a heavy win.
All odds are subject to change