Southampton welcome Manchester United to St Mary’s on Saturday afternoon, in what will be their biggest test of the season so far.
Following three points and a solid performance from the Saints at Crystal Palace last weekend, fans will want to see continued progression this weekend.
They’ll also want goals, which are still hard to come by at the best of times. The striking trio of Gabbiadini, Austin and Long have scored just one goal from open play between them in the last 18 games.
This needs to change quickly. But changing it against a Manchester United side in this kind of form is going to be tough. The Red Devils have been dominant so far this season, and will be looking to keep the early race against their city rivals going this weekend.
It’s certainly not all doom and gloom for Southampton though. The odds may be stacked against a home win, but stranger things have happened in the Premier League already this season.
Why Southampton will win
Despite Manchester United’s impressive score lines this season, there are those who claim that they haven’t been that impressive over 90 minutes.
Pellegrino will want to prove two things this weekend – that St. Mary’s can become a difficult place for any team to visit, and that last week’s better performance wasn’t a one-off.
Whether Virgil van Dijk returns to the starting lineup or not, the back of the team still looks more solid the front. Only Stoke have scored against United in the league this season, in a 2-2 draw in which they were dominated in terms of opportunities and possession.
If Southampton can score first on Saturday, like Stoke did, Mourinho’s men will be in a position they aren’t used to. And that could be the most likely key to success.
Pellegrino is also closing in on his preferred starting eleven, and some consistency in the side should start to pay dividends.
Why Manchester United will win
Teams that win leagues don’t have to play world class football every week, they just have to win games.
Manchester United have been very good at that so far this season. Since losing the UEFA Super Cup 2-1 to Real Madrid, United have won six and drawn only one of their seven fixtures in all competitions.
They have also scored 23 goals in those seven games, and conceded only three. In fact, three of their opening five Premier League matches have been 4-0 wins.
Even if we are to believe that Mourinho’s men have been flattered by some of their score lines so far, it’s only a matter of time until they truly gel. If it happens this weekend, Saints could be in trouble.
Next: Alaves will regret letting Pellegrino go
Predicted lineups
Southampton
Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster
Defenders: Ryan Bertrand, Wesley Hoedt, Maya Yoshida, Cedric Soares
Midfielders: Oriol Romeu, Mario Lemina, Dusan Tadic, Steven Davis, Nathan Redmond
Strikers: Shane Long
Manchester United
Goalkeeper: David de Gea
Defenders: Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Ashley Young
Midfielders: Marounane Fallaini, Nemanja Matić, Juan Mata, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Marcus Rashford
Striker: Romelu Lukaku
Verdict
Southampton 0 – 2 Manchester United
Jose Mourinho’s side have looked solid so far this season, and I don’t see the Saints putting a dent in their progress. Last week Southampton only managed a single goal against a poor Crystal Palace side, and some patchy home form will contribute to a routine win for United.