FA Cup: Can Manchester City Beat Southampton When it Counts?

Southampton vs Manchester City

A spot to the FA Cup semi-finals is up for grabs when Southampton meet Manchester City for the third time this season over at St. Mary’s Stadium on Sunday.

We’re down to the final eight clubs, so there’s a sense of urgency building since this tournament offers an opportunity to teams who plan on bringing home some silverware.

Well, for Manchester City and Liverpool, they still have a great chance both in the Premier League and Champions League. But hey, why not go for another one while they’re at it right?

However, the same can’t be said for Southampton especially since they’re 10^th in the Premier League and are unlikely to compete in Europe anytime soon.

The pre-match SBOTOP betting odds expect the Sky Blues to roll over the Saints. But perhaps the gap between them shouldn’t be as wide as it is.

Southampton have given Manchester City a rough time in their earlier meetings this season and we expect something similar when they’ll meet again this weekend.

Talking Points

Che Adams will be key for Southampton

After a solid month of February, it’s been a rough few weeks for the Saints. Following their FA Cup fifth round win over West Ham to start March, Southampton have suffered three consecutive losses against Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Watford.

During their losing streak, Southampton couldn’t get it going in the final third and their top strikers must regain their shooting boots fast.

While Armando Broja and Mohamed Elyounoussi have been leading the scoring charts for Southampton, their x-factor is clearly Che Adams with eight goals.

Four of those eight have come in his eight games so far in 2022. Overall, Adams has been a dependable source of goals for Ralph Hassenhuttl this campaign.

The Scottish international was once nominated as one of the finalists for the PFA fans’ award for February. He may not have scored lately, but once he regains his form, the Saints are bound to produce FA Cup 2022 highlights and they’ll be a tough nut to crack.

Manchester City must not be complacent

Despite being regarded as one of the most complete teams in the world, Manchester City still have their work cut out for them in these next few weeks.

Following their 4-1 demolition job against Manchester United earlier this March, City were held to consecutive goalless draws against Sporting and Crystal Palace.

The said stalemate against Crystal Palace proved to be costly since it gave Liverpool an opportunity to draw closer. What was once a 14-point Premier League table lead has now lessened to only one for Pep Guardiola’s side.

Overall, they’ve been getting by without a bonafide striker thanks to Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, and Phil Foden. However, it might come back to haunt them later on.

Perhaps we’re merely nitpicking on their flaws, but the fact remains that Manchester City are still in full control of their destiny – which includes possibly winning another FA Cup trophy.

History

This is going to be the first FA Cup meeting between Southampton and Manchester City in more than a decade. These sides last met during the fourth round in 2007 where the Sky Blues led by Darius Vassell, Joey Barton, and DaMarcus Beasley overcame a 1-0 deficit to turn it into a 3-1 victory.

Since Pep Guardiola took charge, Manchester City have only lost once in their last 13 games against Southampton (W9, D3).

But in their two matchups so far this season, Manchester City were held to consecutive draws by Southampton. The last side to face Manchester City at least three times in the same year without losing was Liverpool in 2015/16.

Furthermore, the Saints have only lost three of their last 18 FA Cup matches, two of which coming at the semi-final round at Wembley (W12, D3).

Betting Tip

Manchester City are the clear favourites in the FA Cup 2022 odds. The Sky Blues are priced at 1.31, but they have a big edge over Southampton – who are priced at 8.50. And a  draw after 90 minutes is pegged at 5.00 in the 1X2 market.

Given that the Saints are competitive against the Sky Blues recently, it may be hard to call on who will win. So instead, we’ll be recommending for you to go for Under 3.00 @ 1.90.

Goals have been hard to come by in their recent matchups and for both teams lately, so the result will likely depend who will be less wasteful in front of goal when given the opportunity.

 

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