Southampton vs Manchester United – Match Preview & Prediction

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Manchester United have opened the season with two dreadful losses, but now they have the chance to somewhat erase those memories with two victories in the span of just six days. Following the great result against big rivals Liverpool, here is everything you need to know ahead of United’s trip to Southampton.

Team News

Southampton have made some important changes in their team for the last game against Cambridge United, so they will be expected to do that again, as the senior players will return to action. This is mostly true of Moussa Djenepo, Mohamed Salisu, Joe Aribo and Romeo Lavia. In terms of the players we will not expect to see at the St Mary’s, Valentino Livramento is a long-term absentee due to his injury. That will be about it for Ralph Hasenhuttl, as Romain Perraud is back in training and the defender should be on the bench for the Saints.

As for Man United, it will be interesting to see what Ten Hag does following the Liverpool game. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were all out of starting XI against the big rival and now Raphael Varane and Tyrell Malacia will hope to retain their place in the team. Anthony Elanga could play again with Anthony Martial having injury problems due to which he will miss this game. Also, Brandon Williams and Facundo Pellistri will not be in contention either. Victor Lindelof could be, but he is a doubt ahead of the match.

Form Guide

Man United’s start of the season is not something you would expect to see. After a disastrous opening in the first two games against supposedly weaker sides, they went on to comfortably beat one of the best teams in the country. Man United’s losses to Brighton and Brentford were a clear sign of how far this team has fallen and how much they will need to work to get in the mix for the Champions League football, let alone get closer to the very top of the standings. But then, the 2-1 win over Liverpool on Monday showed to everyone just how much these players can do when they play with proper attitude.

Southampton, on the other hand, have played one game more this season. They started with a poor 4-1 loss at Tottenham, then drew 2-2 with Leeds United at home, the same Leeds which destroyed Chelsea last weekend. But then things started getting better. A 2-1 victory at Leicester City was a much improved outing, which was followed by a comfortable 3-0 win against Cambridge United in the League Cup.

Predicted Outcome

Considering the Monday night win against Liverpool, the atmosphere around the team should be much better and the belief in the team’s potential much higher. That is why we predict Manchester United will beat Southampton 2-1. The Devils are still to prove they can keep up the performances and Saints might trouble them, as they have often done at St Mary’s in recent years.

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