Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Southampton side will be looking to get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Monday night when they travel to Old Trafford to take on a high-flying Manchester United side. The Saints are coming into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Everton in midweek, a game during which the Saints had dominated most of the ball. Despite their vast amounts of possession and control of the match, they were unable to beat Jordan Pickford between the Toffees’ sticks on a second occasion that evening.
The Saints though will still have their spirits up from last weekend when they had surprised everyone by pulling off a special 1-0 victory against former league champions Manchester City. A first-half curler from Che Adams was the difference between the two sides on the night, but keeping the Citizens’ city rivals off the scoresheet this time out will be quite the task indeed. United are entering the final phase of the Premier League boasting the best run of form in the competition right now, and taking anything from their visit to Old Trafford would have to be classed as quite the achievement from the Saints.
Team News
One of the players who has missed the last couple of fixtures with a muscle problem is Jannik Vestergaard. The big defensive midfielder is in line to return for this game against United, albeit being the subject of a late reassuring fitness test. Moussa Djenpo is unlikely to play any part in the proceedings this week, after picking up an unfortunate injury on his leg. Yan Valery, Sofiane Boufal and Nathan Tella have all been ruled out indefinitely as well.
Here Is The Predicted 4-4-2 Southampton Lineup Vs Manchester United:
Predicted 4-4-2 Southampton Lineup Vs Manchester United
Formation: 4-4-2
Defence
The Saints have been on a decent run of form in the league of late, owing mainly to the exploits of their in-form attackers. At the back though, things haven’t looked quite as secure as the gaffer would’ve liked. Alex McCarthy’s presence in between the sticks have been crucial, while the defending in front of him has been inspired over the last couple of fixtures as well. Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek should form the centre-half partnership, with Kyle Walker-Peters and Ryan Bertrand taking up the full-back roles.
Midfield
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side like to press the ball in the central area of the pitch, and their midfield line is hence of utmost importance to the team’s general functioning. Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse are set to continue as the two-man midfield pivot, with wingers on either side for added support. Both Stuart Armstrong and Nathan Redmond have the quality required to change an entire fixture with just a singular moment of brilliance, and that’s exactly what the gaffer will be hoping to get from this outing as well.
Attack
The Saints boast what is among the most in-form forward lines in the entirety of the Premier League right now, but they will be up against the mighty Manchester United on Monday night. Despite this, Che Adams and Danny Ings are sure to give the Red Devils’ defensive line a torrid time at the back. Adams has recently scored his first ever goal in a Southampton shirt against United’s city rivals, while Danny Ings is having what can only be called the season of his life.
