Manchester United extended their undefeated streak with another win last week, as they didn’t encounter problems to defeat Aston Villa led by stellar performances from both Mason Greenwood and Bruno Fernandes. Their chances of earning a spot in next year’s UEFA Champions League berth continue to increase and The Red Devils will try to secure three more points Monday, when they host a rising Southampton side at Old Trafford. Kick-off for this game is slated at 20:00 GMT.
Team News
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might play with something quite close to his Best XI, as the team is more alive than ever in the race to clinch a spot in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League. The only two absentees will be Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe. Given the days of rest between one fixture and the other, Solskjaer is not likely to make many changes.
That might not be the case with Southampton, though, as The Saints are dealing with several injury absentees. Sofiane Boufal, Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Tella and Yann Valery will all miss this game due to injury. However, neither of the four played in Southampton’s most recent game, either. Another potential absentee is the one of defender Jannik Vestergaard, who was missed the team’s last two games due to a muscular problem.
Form guide
The Red Devils enter this game on the heels of a 17-game undefeated streak in all competitions. This run includes 10 straight contests undefeated at the Premier League level (W7, D3) following their most recent win at Aston Villa. Their most recent loss came on January 22nd against Burnley, but United were not as strong back then as they are right now. Manchester United are in fifth place of the standings with 58 points, just one behind Leicester City. By all accounts, Manchester United are very much alive in the race for a 2020-21 UEFA Champions League berth.
Southampton are coming off a 1-1 draw against Everton and that pushed their undefeated streak to three games in the Premier League. In fact, they’ve lost just once in their last five contests and own a W3, D1, L1 mark in that span. The Saints sit in 12th place with 44 points and have already saved themselves from any sort of relegation threat they might face. They don’t have a shot at reaching the UEFA Europa League zone, though, so they will likely play for their honour in the final weeks of the campaign.
What is our recent record against Southampton?
Manchester United have conquered decent results against Southampton over the last few years. The Red Devils are undefeated in their last seven Premier League matches against The Saints, posting three wins and four draws in that stretch. Southampton’s most recent win over Manchester United came at Old Trafford during the 2015-16 season, when they secured the three points after a 1-0 victory.
The previous meeting between these two sides this season finished with a 1-1 draw at St. Mary’s Stadium in August last year. Daniel James scored the opener for Manchester United, but Vestergaard equalized early in the second half for the hosts.
Predicted outcome
Manchester United are favourites according to most bookmakers. Southampton enter this game in a strong run of form, but they do not have much to play for. That might make a difference against a Manchester United side that must win at all costs to keep their Champions League chances alive. Plus, Solskjaer’s men are playing good enough to defeat almost any team in the league at the moment. Based on what they’ve done of late, The Reds shouldn’t face major issues to secure the win in this contest.
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