MY ACCOUNT
Manchester United will look to build on their surprise home win over Liverpool and halt the worst away run in club history when they face Southampton at St Mary’s in Saturday’s early game.
The Red Devils travel south with renewed pride after a stunning display against their bitter North West rivals at Old Trafford on Monday night.
But their hosts will have taken just as much from their come-from-behind win at Leicester last weekend when Che Adams grabbed a couple of goals that could be vital to the direction of the Saints’ season.
That is two Premier League games in a row that Southampton finished strongly after second-half changes and a shift in tactics to a more aggressive approach.
Erik ten Hag will be mindful that the psychology of this match is now very different for his team, who need to prove that they have been reignited and that Monday’s win was no flash in the pan.
Team news
Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl made several changes from Saturday’s 2-1 Premier League victory at Leicester when he sent his team out for their Carabao Cup second-round game at Cambridge in midweek.
Adams started at the Abbey Stadium, scoring another brace before leaving the fray just after the hour mark.
The Scotland international is very likely to be the focal point of Hasenhuttl’s attack with Sekou Mara dropping down to the bench.
Stuart Armstrong is another candidate to return to the starting line-up after his role in the Saints’ comeback at Leicester, although he played the full 90 minutes at Cambridge.
For United, Casemiro will make his Premier League bow after leaving nine trophy-laden seasons at Real Madrid behind to play a part in sorting out the Red Devils’ midfield problems.
He looks set to go straight into Ten Hag’s line-up at St Mary’s with Scott McTominay potentially dropping out unless the Dutch manager decides to tinker with the balance of the XI.
Anthony Martial, who missed United’s defeats to Brighton and Brentford with a hamstring injury, is pushing for a starting role after coming off the bench to set up the second goal against Liverpool.
No changes are expected in defence, meaning England duo Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw will remain among the substitutes.
The stats
Three of the six most recent league meetings between the clubs have finished 1-1 with each of the last half-dozen games producing at least one goal before the 30-minute mark.
United have kept only one clean sheet in their last 14 competitive matches in all competitions.
The Red Devils have lost seven successive matches on their travels, inferior to their previous worst run of six straight away defeats to Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Coventry, Leicester, Manchester City, and Southampton from January to March 1981.
Only five players had more ball recoveries than Casemiro (230) in LaLiga last season.
Prediction
United spent a long week stewing over the Brentford debacle before lifting themselves to levels not seen in a long time against Liverpool on Monday.
Ten Hag clearly has talent at his disposal, but the mentality of a team that produces such disparate performances in back-to-back games must be questioned.
Southampton’s psyche seems fragile too, given their best football in the last two league contests has been produced only once they have fallen behind.
However, Hasenhuttl’s tactics appear to have been holding them back at times and it will be interesting to see what they can do if the Austrian lets the reins off from the first whistle on Saturday.
United can expect a tough game on the south coast and, with in-form Adams to lead the line, Southampton should score at least once and cause the visitors plenty of uncomfortable moments.
If these Red Devils have not heeded the lessons of seven straight Premier League defeats on the road there will be another bump coming their way as the Saints will feel confident of at least securing a draw.
