Southampton and Man City lock horns at St Mary's in Saturday evening’s televised Premier League match. Both teams are gunning for the win but for very different reasons, with the Saints looking to boost their chances of survival and City desperate for three points to keep them in reach of league leaders Man Utd.
Back-to-back draws has seen City slip nine points behind fierce rivals United. They now simply cannot afford to drop a single point if they are to have any chance of clawing their way back into the title race. They will by no means have it their own way on Saturday in what promises to be a very competitive match screened live on ESPN.
Paddy Power have installed Roberto Mancini's men as the hot 8/13 favourites to claim their first victory in three, while the Saints can be backed at 9/2 to record a win that could effectively end City's title dreams. Meanwhile the south coast side are available at 3/1 to grab a draw on Saturday, which could be a tempting punt considering that they have drawn six of their last eight top flight matches.
City may have only lost twice this season but they have managed just 15 wins compared to United's 20. On occasions they have struggled to convert draws into victories, as was evident against rock-bottom QPR. On the opening day of the season they nearly came undone against the Saints who admiringly came from behind to take a shock 2-1 lead in the second-half. However, they came back to win 3-2 and extend their unbeaten run to six against the Saints.
We could have another close game on our hands at St Mary's this weekend. The hosts have become a difficult team to beat in recent months, with just the one defeat - away to Man Utd - in their last eight league games. However, they have only managed to win one of those matches, with a whopping six ending all even.
The Saints have led against both Man Utd (in both matches) and Man City this season but came away empty handed on all three occasions. In fact the south coast have led at some point or another in a remarkable 15 of their 25 league matches this campaign but have only gone on to win five of those games.
With this in mind they could be an attractive bet at 19/1 to lead at half-time but fail to get anything from the match, while they may be worth backing at 14/1 to be ahead at the break but end up with a draw at the final whistle.
City have kept six clean sheets in their last seven matches in all competitions and are available at 7/5 to prevent the Saints from scoring. Mancini’s men also look a decent bet at 7/1 to come away with a 2-0 win, while they may be worth backing at 12/5 to win with three or four goals in the match.
Edin Dzeko has proved to be City’s main man in attack this season with 11 goals and the striker, who opened the scoring against Liverpool, is available at 9/2 to do so against Southampton, while Sergio Aguero is priced at evens to find the back of the net.
Mauricio Pochettino is still looking for his first win having taken two points from his opening three matches in charge. The Argentine coach was left bitterly disappointed last weekend when his side let in a last-gasp equaliser away to Wigan. However, the Saints' pressing style of play has won many plaudits and they can be backed at 14/1 to register a 2-1 against the defending champions, while a score draw could be the way to go at 7/2.
Rickie Lambert extended his tally to 11 Premier League goals last weekend, meaning he is now just one goal short of the magic 100 for the Saints. The striker is definitely worth backing to reach the milestone on Saturday, with odds of 2/1 to score anytime, meanwhile he is an attractive 7/1 to open the scoring in the latest betting with PaddyPower.
Southampton v Man City Form
Check the season's statistics for both Southampton and Man City, plus the odds ahead of Saturday's match.
Southampton Stats | Man City Stats
Southampton v Man City Tips
Tip#1: Man City to win with three or four goals in the match with Paddy Power
Tip#2: Rickie Lambert to score anytime @ 2/1 with Paddy Power
Tip#3: Southampton winning at half-time but lose the match @ 19/1 with Paddy Power
Match Betting
9/2 Southampton
8/13 Man City
3/1 Draw Man
Correct Score Odds
14/1 Southampton 1-0
30/1 Southampton 2-0
14/1 Southampton 2-1
13/2 Man City 1-0
7/1 Man City 2-0
13/2 Man City 2-1
12/1 Draw 0-0
13/2 Draw 1-1
12/1 Draw 2-2
First Goalscorer Odds
4/1 Sergio Aguero
4/1 Carlos Tevez
9/2 Edin Dzeko
7/1 Rickie Lambert
15/2 Yaya Toure
8/1 David Silva
9/1 Samir Nasri
9/1 Jay Rodriguez
9/1 Emmanual Mayuka
10/1 Gaston Ramirez
All markets supplied courtesy of Paddy Power.com
Posted: Thursday, 7th February 2013
Author: Jake Itson
Tags: english premiership, southampton, manchester city, rickie lambert, paddypower,
 | Spurs And Newcastle Tipped To Get Ball Rolling In Weekend BTTS Acca Goals galore at Charlton, Bristol City and Coventry | 7th Feb |
 | Sunderland V Arsenal Odds Back The Black Cats To Nick A Point In Form Giroud The Main Threat For Arsenal | 7th Feb |
| Tottenham V Newcastle Odds Back A Draw In The White Hart Lane Betting Rejuvenated Magpies can get a result at the Lane | 7th Feb |
| Chelsea V Wigan Odds Lampard Backed To Score First Rafa Benitez In Desperate Need Of Three Points | 7th Feb |
| Watford V Crystal Palace Odds Back Vydra To Score In A Hornets Win Watford favourites for key Championship clash | 6th Feb |
Headline News
 | Lee Westwood Tipped To Break Wentworth Duck In PGA Championship Course Specialists Casey And Fisher Also Well Fancied |
| Rafa Benitez And Roberto Di Matteo Head The Next Stoke Manager Betting Mark Hughes Also In The Mix To Replace Tony Pulis |
 | Epsom Derby Ante Post Betting Preview Dawn Approach Even Money For Classic Glory Battle Of Marengo Leads Ballydoyle Charge |
 | Top 10 Champions League Finals Liverpools Comeback Against Milan Tops The List Bayern Munich Involved In Fair Share Of Classics |
| Five Of The Best Championship Play Off Finals Palace And Watford Could Produce A Classic Charlton's Win Over Sunderland Is One Of The Greats |
BRAND NEW £250 free bet offer.
Open Account - Free £250 Bets With Paddypower
£25 free bet with William Hill.
Open Account - Claim £25 Free With William Hill
Up to £200 worth of free bets with Bet365.
Open Account - Claim £200 Free With Bet365
Ladbrokes are one of the highest rated online bookmakers in the UK and are a superb choice for placing your bets. You can claim a £30 free bet when opening a new account with Ladbrokes by clicking on one of the links on this site.
Once you've had your free bet Ladbrokes will credit your account with a £30 free bet.
Open Account - £30 Free Bet - Ladbrokes
The UK based bookmaker Betfred is now offering a £50 free bet for new clients.
Open Account - Free £50 Bet With Betfred
BetVictor is offering £100 in free bets to all new clients.
Open Account - Open Account - Free £100 Bets With BetVictor
Open an account with Coral and they'll match your first bet with a free bet up to the value of £50.
Open Account - £50 Free Bet with Coral
Betting Directory Twitter Feed
Those looking for some online casino entertainment ought to check out all the latest UK Casino Sign Up offers from the top operators including 32Red and many of the sports betting casinos.
There is excellent information, should you be interested in playing online blackjack, roulette, the best progressives or slots - Online Casino Betting with the best introductory offers
Bookmark This Page