Southampton v Man City Odds : Home side look value as punters eye upset at St Marys
Southampton take on Man City at St Marys in the evening kickoff as Paddy Power announce the latest odds and report punters are diving into 5/1 on the home win.
Its now two games without a win for Mancini and his men as the Premiership champions Manchester City make the journey to the South Coast to take on Southampton at the St Mary’s Stadium.
These two of course have very different ambitions for the campaign, with City trying to close the gap on leaders Manchester United and the Saints doing all they can to stay in the league.
The points up for grabs in this one are just as precious to both teams though, so it should be a cracking encounter.
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Mauricio Pochettino is looking for his first win as Southampton manager, but he will be happy with the way his men have performed in the three games he has been in charge. They have taken a point at home to Everton and at Wigan Athletic and although they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester United, put in a superb performance.
The wins have to start coming soon, but in truth, the Argentinean is sure to be delighted if his side manage another point in this one given the quality of the opposition.
With this being the late kick-off, Southampton could be level with the teams in the bottom three, so there might be big pressure to get a result. If you fancy a home win, it can be backed at 5/1.
St Mary’s is sure to be rocking for this one and if the hosts can get a flying start, then they of course have a chance here. One man who will have to be at his clinical best is Rickie Lambert.
The forward has scored eleven Premier League goals this season, which puts him on a par with Theo Walcott, Edin Dzeko and Gareth Bale, so shows what a superb campaign he is having. Lambert is at 8/1 to break the deadlock.
As for Manchester City, they come into this one on the back of draws at Queens Park Rangers and at home to Liverpool. Roberto Mancini would have been expecting at least one win from these matches, so might be slightly frustrated by recent form.
These dropped points have meant that Manchester United are now nine clear at the top – so this is a game that City simply have to be winning.
One man who Mancini will be delighted to have available is Yaya Toure as the Ivory Coast international returned from the African Cup of Nations during the week.
Toure is a man that the Citizens really miss when he is out of the side and his physical presence and ability to drive forward from midfield could be the key to an away win. The Ivorian to score and City to take all three points is at 3/1.
Man City have lost just once on their travels this campaign and they are often strong on the road. If they start quickly, then City should have far too much quality for Southampton in this one.
It all gets underway from 5.30PM on Saturday and it is should be a superb 90 minutes of fast-flowing, attacking football.
