Manchester United vs. Southampton: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

United are coming into this game off the back of a pair of impressive performances, despite neither game resulting in a win. Southampton's most recent Premier League game was a 0-5 drubbing at the hands of Brentford, and the Saints are winless away from home this season, so it's hard to see them getting anything at Old Trafford, or even offering up much resistance.

The mood around Manchester United is rapidly improving, so this game feels well-timed for them to deliver a commanding win, and given four of their last five home games have seen over 2.5 goals, we think this one should be a relatively high-scoring encounter. Manchester United 3-0 Southampton.

Manchester United are hoping to build on a pair of positive performances as they take on Southampton in the Premier League this week.

• Date: 16/01/2025
• Kick-off time: 20:00
• Location: Old Trafford, Manchester

Manchester United come into this game in 13th place in the Premier League with 23 points from 20 games. The Red Devils have had a tumultuous campaign so far that's involved changes in both manager and ownership status, which has yet to yield any tangible results, and if anything have only highlighted the extent of the issues within the club.

Since appointing Ruben Amorim, United have had a very rough time, with results continuing down the same path they were under Erik ten Hag. However, a pair of impressive performances at Anfield and the Emirates have sent a strong signal of progress, and it appears as though the mood around the club might be changing.

There is still a very long way for the team to go, though, and there remain huge concerns over the makeup of the squad, which despite undergoing significant investment over the years, still feels a million miles away from being complete. United have over £100m worth of strikers but still, somehow, desperately need a striker, while a lack of top-quality midfielders is a notable concern. Whether United do any serious work in the January transfer window remains to be seen, but it's unlikely that their finances will allow for any major deals.

The Red Devils need to keep showing signs of progress under Amorim, and a home game against Southampton is a huge chance to build on the good work done in recent weeks and really start to build some significant momentum.

Southampton are entering this game bottom of the Premier League table with just six points from 20 games. It's been a very, very rough time for the Saints who have, quite frankly, so far been one of the worst newly promoted sides in Premier League history. Southampton have been an absolute calamity defensively, conceding 44 goals so far, the joint most in the league, and have been meek going forward, scoring just 12 goals, the fewest total in the entire division.

The Saints parted ways with manager Russell Martin and replaced him with Ivan Jurić a few weeks back, and while it's still early days in his tenure, we have seen little so far that would suggest he'll be able to reverse Southampton's current trajectory - at least not this season.

The only real positive to come out of this season has been the emergence of teenager Tyler Dibling, who has more than held his own in a team full of underperformers. In all honesty, it's overwhelmingly likely that this season will be Dibling's last in a Southampton shirt.

There is very little to be positive about right now from a Southampton perspective, with most UK bookmakers pricing the Saints at around 1/100 to be relegated this season. It does, then, seem as though the writing is on the wall for them, with pride most of what they have left to play for. It's hard to see them getting much from this trip to Old Trafford, but off the back of a fairly gutless display in their last Premier League game, they must at least give their fans an effort to be proud of.

This game will be televised live to all subscribed UK viewers on TNT Sports 1.

Manchester United Team News:

United are coming into this game without the services of Mason Mount, Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelöf and Jonny Evans, while Harry Maguire is a doubt with a knock picked up against Arsenal at the weekend.

Diogo Dalot will also be unavailable through suspension after his red card at the Emirates, while Marcus Rashford is once again expected to be absent, with his future at the club up in the air.

Predicted lineup: Onana; Yoro, De Ligt, Martínez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Mainoo, Malacia; Diallo, Fernandes; Højlund.

Southampton Team News:

The Saints are missing Jack Stephens and Ross Stewart heading into this game, but otherwise, they have a pretty available squad.

Changes will almost certainly be made from their most recent league game against Brentford, with Matheus Fernandes highly likely to return to the starting XI, while Adam Armstrong will fancy his chances of a recall.

Predicted lineup: Ramsdale; Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Wood; Walker-Peters, Fernandes, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Manning; Dibling, Armstrong.

Manchester United:

Manchester United come into this game with one win, one draw and three losses from their last five games. At the weekend, United claimed a very significant victory as they beat Arsenal on penalties at the Emirates in the FA Cup third round following a 1-1 draw. Despite playing over 70 minutes with ten men, United defended resolutely and executed all five penalties expertly.

Before that, United drew 2-2 away at Liverpool, with goals from Lisandro Martínez and Adam Diallo securing an excellent point, a result that followed a 0-2 loss to Newcastle United, a 2-0 defeat to Wolves and a 0-3 loss to Bournemouth.

Southampton:

Southampton have won one, drawn one and lost three of their last five games. The Saints took on Swansea in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon and ran out 3-0 winners thanks to a Tyler Dibling brace and goal from Kamaldeen Sulemana.

Prior to that, the Saints were hammered at home by Brentford in a 0-5 drubbing, which came after a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace and a 0-1 loss to Wolves.

Those results were preceded by a 0-0 draw away at Fulham

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