Southampton v United: Essential info

The Reds’ confidence should be high as we head into the weekend clash on the back of three successive wins in all competitions.

Southampton are also enjoying a good run of form and currently occupy a Europa League position after an excellent start to the campaign.

Our must-read match preview provides you with all the need-to-know details about this crucial Premier League meeting. 

ESSENTIAL INFO
Kick-off at St Mary’s will take place at 14:00 GMT and fans in the UK can watch the game on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. Supporters can also follow our rolling updates on ManUtd.com and our Official App, while MUTV will provide live build-up, radio commentary and reaction to the match. The channel will also show a rerun of the full game the following day.

FORM GUIDE
Bruno Fernandes’s penalty was enough to see off West Bromwich Albion last time out as we claimed our first home league victory of the season, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be looking to add a further three points on the south coast this time out. Whereas the Reds’ home form has been patchy, our away results have been magnificent and we’ve won all three of our away league matches in 2020/21.

As for Sunday’s hosts, Southampton are looking in fine fettle going into this one. A poor start to the season has been followed up by a seven-game unbeaten streak in the league. They have won five of those seven matches and are currently sitting in fifth in the table, just three points behind early pacesetters Tottenham Hotspur. Earlier this month, Southampton sat on top of the table for the first time since 1988, albeit only for a day.

HISTORY BECKONS
If United manage to beat Southampton on Sunday, Ole’s men will set a new club record of eight consecutive away league wins. That’s a run which stretches all the way back to 30 June. In fact, our last away defeat in the league came in January, when eventual champions Liverpool beat us 2-0 at Anfield. The Reds’ impressive seven-match winning streak on the road has included wins at Brighton & Hove Albion (2), Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Leicester City, Newcastle United and Everton.

TEAM NEWS
Ole is hopeful both Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be fit for Sunday’s game after they were both taken off during the Reds’ 4-1 victory against Istanbul Basaksehir in midweek. Luke Shaw (thigh) and Phil Jones (knee) remain sidelined while Eric Bailly hasn't played since the beginning of October. Jesse Lingard is also a doubt after he came into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. However, Paul Pogba could be fit for the trip to the south coast, despite missing the last two games with an ankle knock. As always, for the most up-to-date team news make sure to tune into Ole’s pre-match press conference this Friday.

Southampton go into the game without winger Nathan Redmond after manager Ralph Hasenhuttl ruled him out of contention earlier this week. The 26-year-old midfielder didn’t feature in the Saints’ 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out following a hamstring injury he sustained in training. Sunday’s hosts will also be without Danny Ings after he picked up an injury in the recent win over Aston Villa, while summer signing Mohamed Salisu is still missing.

OUR RECORD AT ST MARY'S
Since the Saints moved to their new home ahead of the 2001-02 season, we’ve played there 15 times. From those encounters, United have come away with victory 10 times, with Southampton winning just once, while the teams have played out four draws. The Reds have actually drawn in each of our last two trips to St Mary’s, with our most recent win at the stadium coming in September 2017 when Romelu Lukaku scored the only goal of the game.

WHO'S THEIR MANAGER?
Austrian Ralph Hasenhuttl took charge of Southampton in 2018 and has been lauded for his offensive, high-energy style of play on the south coast. The 53-year-old represented a variety of clubs during his playing days, including Salzburg, FC Koln and Austria Wien. He also was manager of RB Leipzig from 2016-2018 where he guided the Bundesliga side to a second-placed finish in their debut season in the division. Since moving to Southampton, Hasenhuttl successfully ushered the club away from the relegation zone in his first campaign, before helping to secure an 11th-place finish last term.

OPPOSITION KEY MAN
With star man Danny Ings out injured, Southampton have become ever more reliant on the skills and work rate of Che Adams. Having struggled last season in his first campaign in England’s top flight, Adams has greatly improved in front of goal and has already bagged three goals and three assists in his first nine games this term. The striker has formed a solid partnership up front with Theo Walcott - a man United know well from his days at Arsenal and Everton - and the pair combined in each of Southampton’s last two games to produce a goal.

MATCH DETAILS
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistants: Marc Perry and Dan Robathan
Fourth official: Graham Scott
VAR: Martin Atkinson
Assistant VAR: Timothy Wood

RIVALS WATCH

FRIDAY 27 NOVEMBER
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United (20:00 GMT)

SATURDAY 28 NOVEMBER
Brighton & Hove Albion v Liverpool (12:30 GMT)
Manchester City v Burnley (15:00 GMT)
Everton v Leeds (17:30 GMT)
West Bromwich Albion v Sheffield United (20:00 GMT)

SUNDAY 29TH NOVEMBER
Southampton v UNITED (14:00 GMT)
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur (16:30 GMT)
Arsenal v Wolverhampton Wanderers (19:15 GMT)

MONDAY 30TH NOVEMBER
Leicester City v Fulham (17:30 GMT)
West Ham United v Aston Villa (20:00 GMT)