Manchester United visit Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, looking to extend their winning streak at Old Trafford to five games in all competitions.
On Thursday, Erik ten Hag’s side thrashed Real Betis 4-1 in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 encounter, while the Saints just edged Leicester City 1-0 to climb off the bottom of the table.
Ten Hag got exactly the reaction he wanted against Betis, who felt the full power of the Red Devils’ passion for goal scoring in the Theatre of Dreams, despite putting out the same 11 players who capitulated in their 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Marcus Rashford’s 25th goal of the season came after a well-taken equaliser by Ayoze Perez before the interval, but Man United came out for the second half a different beast, as Antony, Bruno Fernandes, and Wout Weghorst gave the Red Devils a three-goal advantage to take into next weekend’s second leg.
While Ten Hag’s crop is firmly in the quarter-finals of Europe’s secondary competition, the EFL Cup champions can surely consign any faint hopes of a Premier League title charge to history, as last weekend’s humiliating Merseyside mauling left them 14 points behind leaders Arsenal in third place, albeit with a game in hand.
Yet, with crisis club Tottenham Hotspur remaining four points behind and having played a game more, Man United’s podium status is safe for the time being, and few opponents have left Old Trafford with anything other than their tails tucked between their legs.
Certainly, Man United’s undefeated record at the Theatre of Dreams now stands at 20 games, and they have scored at least two goals in each of their past 15 home meetings, but visiting manager Ruben Selles has experience overcoming Big Six clubs on their own turf.
Selles has already experienced all of the emotions that come with managing Southampton, from the highs of sinking Chelsea to the lows of losing to Leeds United and Grimsby Town, but there was a buoyant atmosphere at St Mary’s when Leicester came to town last weekend.
Southampton took full advantage of the Foxes’ inability to muster a single shot on target, scoring in the 35th minute through January acquisition Carlos Alcaraz before the Argentine was forced off injured, demoting South-coast rivals Bournemouth to 20th position.
The Saints are just one point ahead of the Cherries on goal difference, but only one point separates them from Leeds in 17th place, while West Ham United and Leicester are also in the mix and might be ousted by their fellow cellar battlers in the not-too-distant future.
Nevertheless, the Saint Mary’s crowd does not always serve as a motivator for Southampton, as 12 of their 21 points in the 2022-23 Premier League season have come on the road – no other team in the division has won more than half of its points on competitor territory this season.
Nevertheless, a second-half Fernandes goal was enough for Manchester United to win 1-0 at St Mary’s in August, extending the Red Devils’ undefeated run over Southampton to 14 games since Charlie Austin stunned the Old Trafford crowd in January 2016.
Team News- Manchester United
Donny van de Beek and Christian Eriksen of Manchester United are still recovering from knee and ankle injuries, respectively, while Anthony Martial is back in full training after a hip injury but is unlikely to be selected from the start.
Ten Hag must also check the health of Marcel Sabitzer, who was out against Betis due to an injury, and it would not be surprising to see the host manager make a few changes considering that his team has less than 72 hours to recover.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Tyrell Malacia might also challenge the balance in the full-back positions, and until Harry Maguire steps in for a rare start, Fernandes will continue to wear the captain armband.
Team News- Southampton
Nevertheless, Southampton manager Selles swiftly minimized the seriousness of Alcaraz’s knee injury sustained after a knee-slide celebration in the 50th minute against Leicester, and the 20-year-old should be fit enough to take his rightful spot in the starting Lineup here.
With Alcaraz’s quick comeback, the visitors’ only two injury absentees would be Valentino Livramento and Juan Larios, and Selles should see no need to change the lineup that defeated a shot-shy Leicester.
But, a missed penalty by Saints captain James Ward-Prowse last weekend made it two missed penalties from two tries in the top tier this season. The midfielder might now – perhaps astonishingly – become the first Southampton player to miss three in a Premier League campaign.
Prediction-
Manchester United 3-0 Southampton
