Southampton vs Man Utd: Preview and Prediction

Saturday 1st December 2018

England Premier League
Saturday 1st December 2018
Kick off at 5:30pm GMT
Venue: St Mary's Stadium

Match Preview:

Somehow Mark Hughes is still the manager of Southampton. It may have been something to do with the fight they showed against Fulham last weekend which ended in a 3-2 defeat. In midweek the Saints were knocked out of the Carabao Cup against Leicester, but a controversial goal for them was ruled out by VAR and then the game went to penalties.

Now Hughes will face one of his former sides in Manchester United and his team will start as underdogs to win the game. Southampton are in 18^th place and yet one win or two would see them not only escape the bottom three but be as high as 15^th.

At home Southampton have the 3^rd to worst record in the league where they have no wins. Although they have only lost 2 games because 4 of their matches has ended in draws.

Manchester United only managed a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace and it was reported that they were booed by some sections of fans. That result followed up another lacklustre display, this time in the Champions League against Young Boys, a team they were expected to score a few goals against. In the end with the game heading for 0-0, they scored deep into injury time. The goal means that United have qualified for the knock out stages. But it was another poor display.

In the league United have drifted 14 points behind the leaders Manchester City and they are 7 points behind a 4^th place finish. Whilst there have been brilliant moments for the club, all in all this season has been poor for their standards.

The Red Devils have gone the last two games in the league without a win and away from home form is very patchy where they have won just 1 game from their past four.

Team News:

Southampton: Ryan Bertrand was expected back last week and this week he is still very much 50/50 after his back injury. Sam Gallagher is out with a hamstring injury. Danny Ings is reported to have a setback in his hamstring injury and has been ruled out of this game. Matt Target has a head injury and is very doubtful to return for this game. Finally Shane Long has a good chance to make the squad but will be assessed

Manchester United: Alexis Sanchez is out with a hamstring injury and could miss the rest of the year in another big blow for the team. Marcos Rojo may return after missing the recent Champions League match with a minor knock. Lindelof will be out for a few weeks with a muscle problem.

Southampton vs Man Utd Head to Head:

Last season Manchester United won this game 1-0.

Southampton have not beaten Manchester United in the last 5 meetings.

The last 3 meetings have a 100% success rate to see under 1.5 goals.

Southampton vs Man Utd Prediction:

Under Jose Mourinho we have had to wait and wait to see two things in the same match: A performance and plenty of goals. If you had followed that path you would have been cleaned out by now as United continue to disappoint. And the real shame is that United have a team that can come here and win 4-0. Instead they have lost our trust certainly on the road at least, and it may be worth backing Southampton to win on the handicap. The players are playing for Hughes that can be seen in their last couple of matches, both defeats by just one goal. In no way do Southampton share the same qualities as United but they do have a better team spirit and understanding.

Southampton vs Man Utd Betting Tips:

Southampton to beat Manchester United with a +1 goal start at 1.91

Half time result: A draw at 3.50