Manchester United will be eager to bounce back from the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool when they go up vs Southampton at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Gameweek 27 of the 2022/23 Premier League season will continue on Sunday. The day will feature four matches, with the action kicking off with three simultaneous fixtures. Manchester United vs Southampton will be one of those games as they face off at Old Trafford.
Manchester United and the Erik ten Hag juggernaut encountered a roadblock last weekend, as Liverpool pummelled them at Anfield. The result seems like a blip, considering the Red Devils’ progress under ten Hag this season. And they moved on quickly from the setback, beating Real Betis 4-1 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
On the other hand, Southampton might be turning a corner in a season that has featured two sackings. Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones have bitten the dust, with Ruben Selles replacing the latter. And the new Southampton manager has overseen two wins in four games thus far, including the 1-0 victory against Leicester City last weekend.
The reverse fixture saw Manchester United eke out a 1-0 win vs Southampton, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the winner. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Erik ten Hag does not have any new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Southampton on Sunday, the Manchester United manager will be bereft of the services of four first-team players.
Christian Eriksen (ankle) and Donny van de Beek (knee) are long-term absentees. The duo will not be in action anytime soon. Meanwhile, Anthony Martial is making a good recovery from a hip issue. But Sunday’s game might have come too soon for the Frenchman. In addition, ten Hag is sweating over the fitness of Marcel Sabitzer.
With Sabitzer unlikely to start, Fred will get an opportunity to redeem himself after the horror show against Liverpool. The Brazilian international will join compatriot Casemiro in the double pivot in the middle of the park. Meanwhile, the defensive unit should see one change, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka starting as the right-back.
Diogo Dalot has been sub-par in the last few games, and ten Hag needs to try something different. But Luke Shaw picks himself on the left flank, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez starting as the central defensive partnership. And there is no looking past David de Gea between the sticks.
Antony bolstered his prospects for the rest of the season with a goal against Real Betis. And he should start on the right flank again this weekend. The Brazilian international will join the usual suspects — Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, and Wout Weghorst — in the final third.
After suffering a humiliating defeat against Liverpool, the Red Devils were susceptible to another slip-up but they responded in style against their Spanish opponents. Manchester United won the game 4-1 but that scoreline could have been even more emphatic if they had put away a few glorious chances.
Against Betis, Ten Hag deployed the same 11 that meekly surrendered to Liverpool last weekend. But the players looked determined to make an impression and they did exactly that.
Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Antony and Wout Weghorst got on the scoresheet for United as Ayoze Perez scored the La Liga side’s lone goal.
The Carabao Cup champions couldn’t have asked for a kinder proposition in the Premier League to get over their Anfield nightmare than a home game against Southampton.
The Saints beat Leicester City 1-0 last weekend to climb to 19th on the table but are in the thick of it as far as the relegation battle is concerned. Ruben Selles’ men could potentially climb out of the drop zone with a win against Manchester United on Sunday as only one point separates them from Leeds United at 17th.