Prediction: Southampton vs Manchester City

Chances are nobody at Southampton could have seen the Saints sitting in front of the Premier League holders after 12 matches, but having climbed to second, the hosts will give their best to remain in top 4 for as long as possible. Buoyed by the great comeback against Bayern in midweek, the Citizens will attempt to stay close to leaders Chelsea by winning at St Mary’s.

With so many star players leaving the club in the summer, many pundits believed the Saints would be in for a largely disappointing season, despite the fact that the St Mary’s outfit had spent a lot of money on new players. And it is impressive summer signings that have played a key role in club’s outstanding start to the season, as the likes of Graziano Pelle, Dusan Tadic, Ryan Bertrand and Fraser Forster, among others, slotted right into the starting line-up. Boss Ronald Koeman has got to take the credit for rebuilding the squad in such a short time, and the fact that Southampton sit in second position in the Premier League standings after 12 rounds speaks volumes about their performances. The key question now is how long the Saints can keep the rich vein of form and no doubt the Manchester City clash will be a perfect test to their top 4 ambitions. And while the Saints clearly have enough quality to achieve a top table finish, I am not sure they deserve the current league position and can see them struggle to extend the impressive run against the Premier League champions. Important midfielder Steven Davis is doubtful through injury, whilst James Ward-Prowse and Jay Rodriguez are long-term casualties.

Premier League holders Manchester City have been unable to keep up with outstanding Chelsea in the opening exchanges, but not all is lost for Manuel Pellegrini’s side. Injured David Silva and last season’s Yaya Toure have been sorely missed over the last couple of months, but fit-again Sergio Aguero didn’t need a lot of time to prove why he is now considered by far the best striker in the Premier League. It was the Argentine’s hat-trick in midweek that kept club’s Champions League hopes alive and the no doubt the Citizens will again be heavily relying on the experienced forward when they face high-flying Southampton. Manchester City haven’t been too impressive on the travels this season, but they were also quite unfortunate in some games, and with Aguero on top of his game, they have got to be considered favourites to win at St Mary’s. Even Yaya Toure has started to show signs of improvement and seeing as how the Ivorian, as well as few other players, sat out the midweek’s clash against Bayern, he should be in good shape when facing Southampton. David Silva is unlikely to be in contention, with Aleksandar Kolarov and Edin Dzeko missing out as well.

Conclusion

Southampton have been absolutely brilliant so far, but the poor showing against Aston Villa is enough to suggest their excellent run is set to end soon. Manchester City have been raising their form of late and I can see them winning at St Mary’s.

Verdict: Away win Manchester City (2)

Best Odds: 13/8

Bookmaker: William Hill