Here is the team news as Manchester United take on Southampton in the third match of the 2022/23 Premier League. After losing his first two competitive games as United manager to sub-par teams, Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford, Erik ten Hag guided his side to a huge 2-1 home win over Liverpool last time out.
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were on the scoresheet as the Red Devils recorded a morale-boosting victory over bitter rivals to get back some confidence following a nightmarish start to the season. They face a Southampton side who are boosted by their 2-1 win over Leicester City, courtesy of a Che Adams double.
Since the 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in January 2016, the Saints are winless in their last 12 games against Man Utd (D7, L5), although last season, they managed to hold United to 1-1 draws in both home and away fixtures. Southampton will be looking to win two consecutive games after a long time.
Injury/Suspension List:
Anthony Martial, Brandon Williams and Facundo Pellistri are unavailable due to injury, with Mason Greenwood still being suspended. Diogo Dalot, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Tyrell Malacia are expected to continue in defence. Victor Lindelöf is yet to feature for the Red Devils this season due to a problem that he picked up in training, and the Sweden international remains a major doubt for this contest.
James Ward-Prowse is surely one of the heaviest hitters in Premier League football right now. He is a free-kick specialist and the talisman for Southampton’s attack. Ward-Prowse is a technically gifted player with a vast passing range, adept vision, and ability to play high-quality final balls to attackers.
A home encounter with Manchester United on Saturday gives the Southampton playmaker a chance to continue his fine start to the season. The midfielder enjoyed his best-ever season in 2021/22, thanks to the 10 goals and 5 assists in the Premier League (stats via transfermarkt). Crucially, his delivery from free-kicks and corners can exploit Man Utd’s defensive weakness.
Southampton Form:
WDL
Manchester United Form:
WLL
Manchester United Probable Line-up Vs Southampton (4-2-3-1):
David De Gea(GK); Diogo Dalot(RB), Raphael Varane(CB), Lisandro Martinez(CB), Tyrell Malacia (LB); Casemiro(CM), Christian Eriksen(CM); Marcus Rashford(RW), Jadon Sancho(LW), Bruno Fernandes(CAM); Cristiano Ronaldo(ST)
Predicted Score: Southampton 1-2 Manchester United
Goals from Rashford and Sancho will seal a late win for the away team with James Ward-Prowse likely to score a stunning free-kick as he normally does in this fixture.
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Saturday’s showdown is not the type of fixture that gives the hosts a legitimate hope of claiming any points, at least based on their Premier League fortunes against United.
Ten Hag’s lads will be out to prove that their win over Liverpool was not just a one-off and most of the football community will back the Red Devils to maintain their impressive run against the Saints.
Can Manchester United carry the momentum from their first win of the season? Or will Southampton play spoiler at home?
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