United v Southampton: Your guide to the game
Manchester United will be aiming for a 13th win in 16 games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when we host Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
We last met the Saints in December, a match which produced a blistering first half as goals from Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera cancelled out strikes from Stuart Armstrong and Cédric Soares in a 2-2 draw.
United are unbeaten in the last six games against Southampton, including a memorable victory at Wembley a few years ago.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the match…
Saturday 2 March | Premier League | Old Trafford | 15:00 GMT kick-off | Live build-up on MUTV from 13:30 GMT | Referee: Stuart Attwell
HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME?
The game kicks off at 15:00 GMT on Saturday. MUTV subscribers will have access to live build up on ‘Match Day’ from 13:30 GMT, followed by live commentary. You can also follow the action on ManUtd.com and in the Official App, which you can download here.
WHAT’S THE TEAM NEWS?
Ole said Marcus Rashford should be available from the off on Saturday, with the boss confirming to MUTV that he will 'probably' start at Old Trafford. The striker was restricted to a substitute appearance against Palace, due to an ankle problem, but appears to have recovered in time for the clash at Old Trafford. However, there is less positive news regarding Juan Mata, Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard, who all missed out on the trip to to the capital with hamstring injuries. Nemanja Matic suffered a training ground injury last week and faces a few weeks out, while Antonio Valencia and Matteo Darmian are suffering from longer-term injuries. It means that some of our Under-23 players could be given a chance again at the weekend. James Garner and Tahith Chong were on the bench during the week against Palace, with the former grabbing his competitive first-team debut.
WHAT ABOUT SOUTHAMPTON?
Michael Obafemi is out for the remainder of the season after his injury at Arsenal last week. Former Liverpool striker Danny Ings didn’t play against Fulham during the week and manager Ralph Hasenhüttl says he will not be risked until next week at the earliest. Shane Long returned from injury in the midweek match and should be available again, but it remains to be seen if Mario Lemina will recover in time for Saturday’s game.
HOW ARE SOUTHAMPTON GETTING ON?
Just one win in their opening 16 league games this season plunged Southampton into a relegation battle, which ultimately saw manager and former Reds striker Mark Hughes sacked in December after a 2-2 draw against United at St Mary’s. The south coast club replaced him with former Ingolstadt and RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhüttl, the first Austrian to manage in the Premier League. Since the turn of the year three Premier League wins have pulled the Saints out of the drop zone and they are currently two points above the bottom three. Southampton registered a vital 2-0 win over relegation rivals Fulham on Wednesday, thanks to goals from midfielders Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse.
Ole scored against Southampton on three occasions as player, with each ending in a win (3-1 (A) 2000, 6-1 (H) 2001, 3-1 (A) 2002).
Top scorer Danny Ings is ruled out through injury, but midfielder James Ward-Prowse has scored four goals in his last eight games. Only 24 years old, he has already amassed 184 Premier League appearances and registered 14 goals, and has developed a reputation for dangerous crosses and set-plays in that time. A one-club-man, Ward-Prowse came through Southampton’s academy, making his debut at 16 in the League Cup. Ward-Prowse has one senior England cap, coming on as a substitute against Germany in 2017.
WHAT’S OUR RECORD LIKE AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON?
United and Southampton have faced each other 124 times, with the first meeting taking place in 1897. The Reds have won 64 of those previous encounters, drawn 33 and lost just 27. We have emerged victorious in 37 of 58 games played at Old Trafford and have won 15 of 16 home games against the Saints between 1992 and 2013. However, Southampton have proved stubborn opponents to United of late. The Saints have earned draws in three of their last four games against the Reds and have only lost once in their last four visits to Old Trafford. Our last home win against Southampton came in 2016, courtesy of a Zlatan Ibrahimovic brace.
The Reds beat Southampton 3-2 in the final of the League Cup two years ago thanks to a brace from Zlatan Ibramhimovic and Jesse Lingard's first-half strike. We also went on to claim the Europa League that season.
WHO’S THE REFEREE?
Stuart Attwell will take control of the game on Saturday. The Warwickshire-born official has not overseen any of United’s Premier League games so far this season, but officiated in our FA Cup win against Reading and our Carabao Cup penalty defeat to Derby County. Constantine Hatzidakis and Richard West are Attwell’s assistants, while Martin Atkinson will be the fourth official at Old Trafford.
RIVALS WATCH
There is a full Premier League fixture list this weekend, with no Monday night game. Take a look at the schedule...
SATURDAY 2 MARCH
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal (12:30 GMT)
Bournemouth v Manchester City
Brighton and Hove Albion v Huddersfield Town
Burnley v Crystal Palace
Manchester United v Southampton
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Cardiff City
West Ham United v Newcastle United (17:30 GMT)
SUNDAY 3 MARCH
Watford v Leicester City (12:00 GMT)
Fulham v Chelsea (14:05 GMT)
Everton v Liverpool (16:15 GMT)
All games will kick off at 15:00 GMT, unless stated otherwise.
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