Manchester United are getting back into action in the Premier League. Following their tragic loss at Anfield last weekend, Erik Ten Hag’s side managed to at least somewhat brush off the disgraceful result with a comfortable win against Real Betis. Now, with one foot in the quarterfinals of the Europa League, the Red Devils could focus solely on Southampton, their next rivals in the league. The bottom-placed team are coming to town and this will be a good opportunity for United to bounce back and try to bury down the Liverpool loss of the last weekend.
Team News
Manchester United still have two midfielders out of contention, with Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen remaining on the sidelines due to their long-term injuries. Anthony Martial is back in training after also being out for a while due to a hip problem, but he should not be expected to be in contention for a place in the team. Another doubt is Marcel Sabitzer. Due to a knock, the midfielder missed the game against Betis so it remains to be seen whether he will be part of the matchday squad.
As for Southampton, the situation seems much better. Carlos Alcaraz had a knee sprain after getting off in the match against Leicester, but he should be fit to start against United. That means Saints will have only Juan Larios and Valentino Livramento as the only injured players set to miss the trip to Old Trafford.
Form Guide
Since mid-October, Manchester United have won all of their home matches but one, the 2-2 draw against Leeds United. This clearly shows just how good United are playing at Old Trafford, which was confirmed with their 4-1 win against Real Betis in the Europa League Round of 16 first leg. However, the mood at United is not ideal, which is expected to be the case when we know what happened just last weekend. The 7-0 loss at Anfield at the hands of Liverpool will hurt for a long time and a nice win against Betis cannot erase that memory. That is why United will need to be careful, as well as due to the fact Southampton managed to stay undefeated at Old Trafford in six of their last nine trips. The Saints have become a tough team for United in recent years.
However, there is the other part of the story. Southampton from this season is far from the team of some of the previous campaigns. They are sitting in the last place in the Premier League standings, with just 21 points to their name. They did beat Leicester last weekend, but they also managed to get eliminated from the FA Cup at home against Grimsby Town, and they also lost to Leeds before that. Sure, they did beat Chelsea three weeks ago, which clearly shows they are an unpredictable side United should be careful against.
Predicted Outcome
Considering the two teams’ contrasting campaigns, it is clear the Devils are the favourites. We predict Manchester United will beat Southampton 2-0 and get back to their winning ways in the league.
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