Manchester United will go to St. Mary’s Stadium on Sunday to continue their recent winning run against Southampton who currently sits five places above us in the Premier League. We have won our last three games in all competitions but we will face a stern test against our opposition, who are unbeaten in the last seven.
The Saints have four points more than us, albeit they have played one more game than us in the league. We have seemed to hit a good run of form at a time when questions most notably by the English media that Ole’s time was running out at United.
It had been reported Ole was one game away from being let go after defeats against Arsenal and away at Istanbul Basaksehir. We had an excellent 4-1 home victory against Basaksehir on Tuesday that puts us in a strong position to reach the last 16 of the Champions League.
In the league, our last two games have seen wins against West Brom and Everton as we gather points to make our way up the table. We had struggled against Baggies and will need a better performance against Southampton to get the victory.
A win against the Saints would see United record an eighth consecutive league away victory for the first time in our history.
Opposition Preview
Southampton will be looking to stop our good run of form. They will have confidence after an excellent start to the season. The Saints have won their last three home games by the scoreline of 2-0.
Their manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has gained much praise for the work he has done with the club and had topped the league recently. They drew 1-1 last time out against Wolverhampton Wanderers and currently sit fifth in the table.
Southampton vs Manchester United Match Details
Teams: Southampton vs Manchester United
Date: November 29th, 2020 (Sunday)
KO Time: 14:00 BST
Competition: Premier League
Stadium: St. Mary’s Stadium
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Managers: Ole Gunnar Solskjær and Ralph Hasenhüttl
Manchester United Team News
Defenders Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof will be assessed before the game after picking up knocks during midweek against Istanbul Basaksehir. We are still without Eric Bailly and Phil Jones who are still recovering from their respective injuries.
Ole will have to decide who will lead the line as Edinson Cavani put in a good performance on Tuesday to push his claim to start against Southampton. Jesse Lingard is back after his isolation due to covid-19 regulations.
Ole did reveal that Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay did not train on Friday and therefore might not feature against the Saints. Luke Shaw misses out on a return to his former club as he works his way back to fitness after suffering a hamstring injury against Everton earlier this month.
Pre-Match Press Conference
The pre-match press conference saw Ole how much of a test will Southampton pose given their recent form. He said, “They’ve done well, if you look back on a 30-40 game block, they’re one of the top teams. So they’ve made great improvements and we know how difficult this game is going to be. We drew twice against them last season so, for us, this is a game we can make an improvement on.”
A member of the media asked Ole about Mason Greenwood, given the recent criticism, “We try to help all of our players, if they’re young and old. The more experience you have, the greater chance you have to avoid a mistake here and there. I don’t have an issue with helping young players and help them become good footballers, and Mason is a really good footballer.”
Ole was asked about fans having to wait to come back into Old Trafford giving Manchester were put into tier 3 restrictions and that there will be fans at our game away at West Ham next week. He said, “I think so, I’m very pleased with the progress, that we can let the fans in gradually. Of course, we can’t wait to see fans at Old Trafford. We know how long they’ve been waiting to be there and watch the games live. So, steps in the right direction. Even though we’re the away team, it’s still creating an atmosphere in the game so I’m looking forward to it.”
Southampton Team News
For the opposition, they will be without Nathan Redmond who is out currently with an injury that has only seen him play three times for the Saints this season. Ryan Bertrand and James Ward-Prowse who overcome injuries to start against Wolves are expected to feature.
There will be no Danny Ings to contend with, who is currently back in training after having surgery on his knee. The attacking threat will come from Theo Walcott who will be looking to score his fourth goal against us in his career, each at a different grounds.
Form Guide
Manchester United Premier League form: LWDLWW
Manchester United form (all competitions): WLLWWW
Southampton Premier League form: WDWWWD
Interesting Facts
- United have only twice won four straight away games at the start of a league season – in 1913-14 and 1985-86.
- Manchester United haven’t lost any of their last nine Premier League away games against Southampton (W5 D4). (source: talksport.com)
- 19 of Manchester United’s 115 Premier League goals under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have been scored from the penalty spot (16.5%) – it’s the joint-highest ratio of goals scored from the penalty spot for a team under a manager in the competition’s history (level with Crystal Palace under Roy Hodgson, min. 50 goals scored). (source: talksport.com)
- Manchester United have not won at St Mary’s since 2017 only winning one game in five against the Saints.
- Manchester United remain on a nine game unbeaten run against Southampton (W4 D5). The last defeat was after Charlie Austin’s last minute winner at Old Trafford in 2016.
Predicted Lineup
De Gea, Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Telles, Fred, Van De Beek, Fernandes, Rashford, Cavani, and Martial.
Prediction
We are currently on our best run of form away from home. United is on the verge of setting a club record for the away wins in the league. Southampton have started the season well and we can underestimate them. The game will be a cagey affair. However, given our performances away from Old Trafford, the signs are encouraging that we can pick all three points at St. Mary’s.
Predicted Score
Southampton 0-1 Manchester United
