Southampton vs Man United: Preview and Predictions

After two away defeats in the past week, the Saints return to Saint Mary’s to take on Manchester United in a must win match for Mark Hughes.

Man United, come into the match sitting 7th on the table, placing them ten spots over the lowly Saints. However, despite being in the top half of the table, Man U, come into the match with a negative goal differential. They only team in the top ten to have a minus goal difference.

Both teams are not in their best form and both are coming off matches mid-week. Albeit, the competitions were a bit different, United were playing in the Champions League and the Saints in the League cup.

Jose Mourinho and his men, will enter this match hoping for an easy win over a struggling Southampton side. On the other side of things, Mark Hughes, will be looking to save his job for another week and get a much needed result at home against a Big Six club.

Let us take a look how each side can get the result.

Why Southampton Will Win.

The poor form Southampton are currently in may be enough to write them off in this match before it even starts.  But, Manchester United have struggled this season in matches they appear to be the heavy favorite in.

Most notably, was a match against Newcastle in October. Newcastle, quickly jumped out to a 0-2 lead at Old Trafford and managed to make a match out of it even though they did end up losing. United have also suffered loses to lower table teams on the road. They lost to Brighton 3-2 way back in August and then to West Ham in October.

The Red Devils have their struggles on the road and against smaller sides so this game could be for the taking. Southampton in order to win need to strike first. If, they score first it will keep the game open and all more opportunities to add to the lead. If Man United are the first to score it is very likely Jose will just suffocate the life out of the match and go home happy with a 0-1 victory on the road.

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Why Manchester United Will Win.

United, through and through, have the more talent of the two sides. That is not up for debate, but what is, is Mourinho’s ability to get the most out of his players. If he picks the correct side and gets the players in the correct mindset before the match this should be a walk in the park for the Red Devils.

The size and strength of United players like Lukaku, Pogba, and Fellaini will give the Southamtpon defense fits for most of the day. The Saints defense has been looking porous and this will be a prime opportunity for a player like Lukaku who possess strength and speed to get back on the scoresheet.

Another player who will be key for a Man United victory will be Anthony Martial. His creativity and pace on the left will surely give a defender like Cedric issues all day long. This matchup, if taken advantage of, will lead to goals for United.

Once Mourinho’s side score they will likely look to see out the game and not allow Southampton to have any clean chances the entire match.

Predicted Lineups

Southampton: 3-5-2

Goalkeepers: Alex McCarthy

Defenders: Jannik Vestergaard, Wesley Hoedt, Maya Yoshida

Midfielders: Cedric Soares, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Stuart Armstrong, Mario Lemina, Matt Targett

Forwards: Manolo Gabbidaini, Nathan Redmond

Manchester United: 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: David de Gea

Defenders: Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Ashley Young

Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Fred, Nemanja Matic

Forwards: Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, Juan Mata

Predicted Score

Southampton 0 – 2 Manchester United