The English Premier League continues this mid-week, so take a look at our tips and predictions for the Manchester City vs. Southampton and Stoke City vs. Liverpool matches. With plenty of picks and markets to choose from, don’t waste your time and join the action at Get More Sports.
Manchester City vs. Southampton
Three-Way: 1: Man City -357; X: +750 Draw; 2: Southampton +1700 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread -2: Man City -104; Southampton +104
Total +3.5: Over +112; Under -115
MANCHESTER CITY
The Citizens are in a fantastic run of 18 consecutive wins and although they almost failed to get three points at John Smith’s Stadium against Huddersfield, Man City managed to snatch a late victory thanks to Raheem Sterling. The hosts led after Nicolas Otamendi scored an own goal, but Sergio Aguero from the penalty spot and Sterling with the goal in the 84th minute secured another win for Pep Guardiola’s side. They are currently at the top of the Premier League with 37 points, eight ahead of Manchester City and even 21 more than Southampton, and are heavy favorites on this one.
Manchester City played 20 games so far in the 2017/18, recording 19 victories and a draw, with a goal difference of 58:12, which is 3.50 goals per contest on average. The Citizens conceded only two goals in the previous five matches at home, and given that the Saints haven’t beat them at Etihad since 2004, Southampton will have a mountain to climb to avoid a defeat here.
Raheem Sterling has been in a sensational form this season as he is the team’s top scorer with 12 goals in 1 appearances, while Sergio Aguero with 11, Gabriel Jesus with ten, and Leroy Sane with eight are following him on a goal-scoring chart. David Silva is the most creative individual at Etihad with ten assists to his name, while Kevin De Bruyne added nine dishes at the moment, and Sane is right behind them with eight assists. Pep Guardiola cannot count on the left-back Benjamin Mendy who is out with a cruciate ligament rupture, and John Stones, who will miss the next couple of weeks due to a hamstring injury.
SOUTHAMPTON
The Saints ended a negative run of three matches without a win in the Premier League with a 4:1 thrashing of Everton at St. Mary’s last Sunday. It was the first time of the season that Southampton scored more than three goals in a game, thanks to Charlie Austin’s brace and strikes from Dusan Tadic and Steven Davis. With those three points, Mauricio Pellegrino’s side is now in the 10th position with 16 points, and after some poor displays lately, this win secured Pellegrino’s job at least for a little while. He is without pressure on this one as nobody expects the Saints to get a positive result at Etihad.
Southampton played 14 games in this campaign, recording four victories, four draws, and six losses, with a goal difference of 13:17, which is 2.14 goals per contest on average. The Saints failed to win on the road in the previous three Premier League matches and considering their poor record at Etihad in recent history; they have minimal chances to avoid a defeat on Wednesday. Southampton allowed six goals in the last three games on the road, and although their defense is not playing bad, facing one of the best attacks in Europe will be a huge test for them.
Steven Davis, Manolo Gabbiadini, and Charlie Austin are the team’s leading scorers with three goals apiece, while Dusan Tadic contributed with a couple of goals to his name so far. Shane Long, Ryan Bertrand, and Nathan Redmond are the best assist-makers with a pair of dishes each, but both Long and Redmond are not playing good enough and the gaffer demands more from them. At least Tadic and Austin bounced back with excellent performances in a win over Everton, and Austin should continue to serve as the starting striker ahead of Gabbiadini. Mauricio Pellegrino doesn’t have any injury-related concerns prior to this clash, while Oriol Romeu returns after serving his one-match suspension against the Toffees.
Manchester City vs. Southampton – Match Prediction
The Citizens are absolute favorites in this Premier League matchup and I don’t see how the Saints will hold them, so I am backing the hosts to get a convincing win.
MY PICK: Manchester City AH -2 (-104)
Stoke City vs. Liverpool
Three-Way: 1: Stoke City +550; X: +380 Draw; 2: Liverpool -159 at BetDSI Sportsbook
Spread +1: Stoke +110; Liverpool -105
Total +3: Over +100; Under -104
STOKE CITY
The Potters are looking for the first Premier League win in four matches, and are hoping to bounce back after a 1:2 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park last Saturday. Stoke had a 1:0 lead thanks to Xherdan Shaqiri’s goal, but the Eagles responded through Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mamadou Sakho, who scored in the injury time to secure three points for the hosts. Mark Hughes’ side is currently in the 15th position with 13 points, ten behind Liverpool, and three more than the relegation zone, so they are desperate to get a positive result against the Reds on Wednesday.
Stoke City played 15 games in this season, recording four victories, four draws, and seven losses, with a goal difference of 20:28, which is 3.20 goals per contest on average. The Potters lost three in a row to Liverpool at home, while they allowed four goals in the previous two matches at bet365 Stadium, so I think they will have a lot of troubles to keep the net intact on this one.
Peter Crouch is the team’s top scorer with four goals in 11 appearances, while Eric Choupo-Moting, Mame Diouf, and Xherdan Shaqiri scored three goals apiece. The Swiss international Shaqiri is the most creative individual at Stoke with five assists to his name, while Choupo-Moting is behind him with three dishes at the moment. Mark Hughes cannot count on Stephen Ireland (broken leg), Jack Butland (fractured finger), and Geoff Cameron (concussion).
LIVERPOOL
The Reds are in a fine form of six matches without a defeat, but they drew the last two despite having a lead in both of those games. Liverpool welcomed Chelsea in the most recent Premier League tilt and had a 1:0 lead thanks to Mohamed Salah’s goal in the 65th minute, but the Blues equalized through William and his lucky strike with five minutes to go. Jurgen Klopp’s side is in the 6th position with 23 points, and a potential win here could send them back to the top four if Tottenham and Chelsea don’t get three points in their respective matches.
Liverpool played 21 games in the 2017/18 so far, recording ten victories, eight draws, and three losses, with a goal difference of 47:29, which is 3.61 goals per contest on average. The Reds won in the previous three visits to the bet365 Stadium and scored 16 goals in the last five road matches, so I believe Liverpool will score at least two on Wednesday.
Fantastic Mohamed Salah is the team’s leading scorer with 15 goals in 20 appearances, while Roberto Firmino contributed with nine goals to his name. The Brazilian Firmino is the best assist0maker with five dishes at the moment, while James Milner, Philippe Coutinho, Sadio Mane, and Salah recorded four assists each. Jurgen Klopp is delighted to have Adam Lallana back on the pitch as the England international made his season debut in a cameo against Chelsea, and will surely play more minutes on this one. Nathaniel Clyne is suffering from a back injury and will not feature until February, while Dejan Lovren (back) and Emre Can (lower body) are questionable to feature on Wednesday.
Stoke City vs. Liverpool – Match Prediction
Klopp will likely unleash his Fab Four of Salah, Mane, Coutinho, and Firmino, and I don’t think Stoke is good enough to keep them without scoring, so I believe the visitors will collect three points here. The over should be an easy pick in this one.
MY PICK: Over 3 goals (+100)
