Manchester City V Southampton
Tuesday 28 October 2019 – 19:45 Kick-Off
EFL Cup
Pick: Man City WIN & Under 4.5 Match Goals
Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker: Betway
EFL Cup Betting – 22Bet
Preview: Two meetings inside a week for Manchester City and Southampton, who are set to clash in the Premier League this coming weekend. This Fourth Round EFL Cup encounter comes first, with Southampton looking to salvage some pride when they make their way to The Etihad to face the team to have lifted this trophy aloft in each of the past two campaigns, Manchester City.
Manchester City Preview – City to run riot in Manchester?
Perhaps not quite as comfortable as the scoreline depicted. Manchester City would, nevertheless, secure a third straight win in all competitions against Aston Villa at The Etihad on Saturday. Goals from Raheem Sterling, David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan ensured Pep Guardiola’s troops went into this midweek cup contest with plenty of momentum behind them, for a competition they will be keen to prolong their participation in having lifted the trophy during each of the past two campaigns.
This will be the eighth occasion Man City have played at home in 2019/20. Their record reads W5 D1 L1, losing only to Wolves and racking up 24 goals, at a rate of over three per game. Therefore any notion of them going easy on their forlorn opposition would seem speculative at best. A decent Atalanta side from Serie A were emphatically dispatched 5-1 in Manchester as recently as last week.
Bearing all this in mind, Over 4.5 Man City Goals at 3/1 (Bet365) will no doubt appeal to some. Sergio Aguero is favourite in the scoring markets and could start here after featuring only as a late substitute at the weekend. More appealing alternatives, however, are Riyad Mahrez (7/5 Anytime Scorer, Unibet) and Phil Foden (13/5 Anytime Scorer, PaddyPower), with both players known to excel when given limited first team minutes. The pair seem set to feature in some capacity here.
Southampton Preview – Saints seeking instant redemption?
Humiliated on Friday, when losing 9-0 inside their own stadium to slump to the joint-heaviest defeat ever suffered by a team playing at home in the Premier League era, Southampton must find a way to dust themselves off ahead of this daunting encounter. Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl appeared understandably dejected at full-time, almost at a loss to explain such a pitiful performance from his team. Can the Austrian somehow galvanize his demoralised squad?
This always looked a nightmare draw. The timing, however, could not be worse as another heavy margin of defeat would be damaging. Losing to Leicester last time out extended their current run without a win to four. Their most recent taste of success coming in this very competition in fact, thrashing local rivals Portsmouth (0-4) on the road. Having also beaten Fulham away (0-1) in an earlier round, there is at least some semblance of evidence to suggest The Saints aren’t entirely without hope.
To have any sort of chance some defensive resolve has to be found from somewhere, and seemingly out of nowhere, after conceding sixteen times in their previous four matches combined. Ralp Hasenhuttl’s side will also need to pose a threat at the other end. Although Danny Ings was hauled off at half-time on Friday, the former England international has been in fine form recently and does account for four of his side’s last six goals scored away from home.
Man City V Southampton Key Facts:
- Man City have won three consecutive games after beating Aston Villa 3-0 at home in the league on Saturday. Only Wolves (0-2) have beaten them at The Etihad in 2019/20.
- Southampton were humiliated in their latest encounter, losing 9-0 at home to Leicester City to stretch their winless run to four (D1 L3).
- Not since 2004 have Southampton won any fixture away to Man City, who are bidding for a sixth straight win (home or away).
Betting Summary
A competition Man City have often flexed their muscles in, making full use of unquestionably the strongest playing squad in the country to negotiate the earlier rounds with rotated line-ups before their stars take over. It should be no different this time around. The Citizens are also on a three game winning streak, scoring goals aplenty.
The aim for Southampton must surely be avoiding another heavy margin of defeat. Even that will feel like a tall order after everything that has transpired recently. No win in four is compounded by that ridiculous 9-0 home loss to Leicester City, although they can take some heart from professional displays earlier in the competition away to Fulham (0-1) and Portsmouth (0-4).
With Man City likely to rotate personnel, there is the possibility of them not being at their fluent and free-flowing best. Southampton will also be keen to avoid another hammering, which could mean a very defensive shape and mindset. City should progress, probably without many thrills or drama.
