Southampton v United : Your essential guide

The Reds travel to the south coast hoping to bounce back after suffering stoppage time heartbreak against Crystal Palace the week before, while the Saints will be in a buoyant mood following their first three points of the campaign away at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Here's everything you need to know ahead of the match...

HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME?

MUTV subscribers will be able to watch an extensive build-up to the game via the channel's Match Day show, followed by comprehensive live radio commentary. You can also follow our coverage on ManUtd.com and the Official App, where you can track live data and player statistics in the Match Centre.

WHICH TV CHANNEL IS IT ON IN THE UK?

Our trip to the south coast has been selected for live TV coverage in the UK and will be shown on BT Sport with kick-off at 12:30 BST. As always, the match will be shown in full on MUTV from the following day.

WHAT'S THE LATEST TEAM NEWS?

Luke Shaw could be a doubt for Saturday's fixture against his former club. The defender came off after 34 minutes against Crystal Palace on Saturday after feeling a pain in his hamstring, and will be assessed ahead of this weekend's visit to the south coast. Another player that could potentially miss out is Anthony Martial. The Frenchman was seen limping towards the end of our Old Trafford defeat, with Ole saying after the match that the talented striker will hope to be back in training during the week. Diogo Dalot will not be fit in time to face the club who he made his top flight debut against last season, while Eric Bailly (knee) and Tim Fosu-Mensah (knee) continue their recovery from long term injuries.

As for Southampton, Ralph Hasenhuttl's side look set to be without Ryan Bertrand, who missed last weekend's game against Brighton & Hove Albion with an ankle problem. It remains to be seen whether he will be back in time for Saturday's fixture.

FORM GUIDE

So far United have a win, a draw and a defeat from our opening three Premier League fixtures. An opening day victory against Chelsea has since been followed up with an away draw against Wolves and a stoppage-time defeat to Crystal Palace. These three results mean that the Reds lie in fifth in the league table.

Our hosts began the campaign with back-to-back defeats to Burnley and Liverpool, but beat 10-man Brighton last weekend to ensure that the Saints have risen off the foot of the table to 18th going into the fourth round of fixtures.

HOW DID THEY GET ON LAST SEASON?

The Saints experienced a slow start to last term under the stewardship of former United striker Mark Hughes, achieving just one solitary league win before mid-December. That led to increased fears of relegation on the south coast, and their poor form would see Hughes dismissed after that 2-2 draw with United in December 2018. Assistant first-team coach Kelvin Davis then oversaw a 3-1 defeat against Tottenham at Wembley, before former RB Leipzig boss Ralph Hasenhuttl took the reins. After losing his first match in charge at Cardiff, he enjoyed a memorable home debut when the Saints ended Arsenal's 22-match unbeaten run with a thrilling 3-2 success. A further upturn in form during the second half of the campaign included a notable 2-1 home victory over Tottenham, and Southampton would eventually finish the season five points above the relegation zone in 16th place. In the cup competitions, the Saints were knocked out of the Emirates FA Cup by Championship side Derby County on penalties in the third round, following a replay and extra time, while Leicester also prevailed via the same method to scupper their Carabao Cup hopes at the fourth-round stage, after a goalless draw at the King Power Stadium.

ANY NEW FACES?

The Saints were busy in the summer transfer window, with four players leaving and three coming in. One area in particular that Hassenhuttl has attempted to strengthen is his front line, with Che Adams and Danny Ings arriving from Birmingham City and Liverpool respectively. 

WHAT’S OUR RECORD LIKE AGAINST SOUTHAMPTON?

There have been 125 previous competitive meetings between the clubs, with United notching 65 victories to the Saints' 27, and the remaining 33 contests ending in draws. The Reds have enjoyed their recent trips the south coast – we are unbeaten in our last 11 at St Mary’s. Southampton moved to the stadium in 2001 and, in 14 games there, we have won 10, drawn three and lost just once. Last season brought one of those rare occasions in Hampshire when we were denied all three points: we came from two goals behind to grab a 2-2 draw last December.

WHO'S THE REFEREE?

Saturday's Premier League fixture will be refereed by Mike Dean. The veteran official will take charge of his first United game since our 2-1 defeat to Wolves last season and will be assisted by Darren Cann and Daniel Robothan, while Simon Hooper serves as the fourth official. Michael Oliver will be the Video Assistant Referee, with Stephen Child as his assistant.

RIVALS WATCH

Our fixture on the south coast kickstarts a busy two days of Premier League football, with eight fixtures on Saturday and two on Sunday. Here's the full list:

SATURDAY 31 AUGUST

Southampton v Manchester United (12:30 BST)
Crystal Palace v Aston Villa
Chelsea v Sheffield United
Newcastle United v Watford
Manchester City v Brighton & Hove Albion
West Ham United v Norwich City
Leicester City v AFC Bournemouth
Burnley v Liverpool (17:30 BST)

SUNDAY 1 SEPTEMBER

Everton v Wolverhampton Wanderers (14:00 BST)
Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur (16:30 BST)

*Games kick off at 15:00 BST unless stated.

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