Man Utd v Southampton Preview and Betting Tip – DS
Man Utd v Southampton Preview
We landed a nice winner in midweek with Newcastle winning 3-1 vs Everton. It was a worrying night for The Toffees and it could be a tough couple of months for them. There are also issues at Old Trafford right now as they prepare to welcome Southampton for the early kick off on Saturday. The Saints were slaughtered on their last visit to Utd, but they are in better form this time around. The home side are in another sticky period and the vibes coming from the club aren’t good. Is there an upset on the cards? Find out in our Man Utd v Southampton betting preview below.
Man Utd
Just when it looked as though Ralf Rangnick was steadying the ship, storm clouds are again gathering at Man Utd. Dumped out of the FA Cup on penalties by Middlesbrough and held to a 1-1 draw by bottom dwellers Burnley, the mood has darkened. Leaks have resprung and the latest ones suggest that the players think the training is old fashioned and that Chris Armas is like Ted Lasso. With every passing week, these players are making themselves look worse and worse.
Has there been any positives? Rafael Varane has started to show why he is considered a world class defender. His positioning and anticipation is top class, it’s just a pity the same cannot be said about his centre back partner(s). David De Gea continues in good form, Sancho has improved marginally but apart from those three, there has been very little to shout about.
To be fair, the decision to drop the golden boy Ronaldo looked like it would pay dividends at Turf Moor. Utd produced one of their most dynamic displays of the season in the first half but their failure to add a second goal proved costly. Burnley scored early in the second half and after that, Utd lost their composure. This team is mentally fragile, disunited and you couldn’t back them with any confidence.
Southampton
The Saints produced what Ralph Hasenhuttl described as their best ever performance under him at Spurs in midweek. Southampton were very unlucky to go 1-0 and 2-1 down but they fought back bravely twice and a superb headed goal from Che Adams saw them leave London with a 3-2 win and all three points. In their previous Premier League outing they caused Man City all sorts of problems in a 1-1 draw so they’ll be very confident coming into this match.
Southampton will be keen to avenge their 9-0 hammering at the hands of Man Utd last season. On previous visits under Hasenhuttl they drew 2-2 and lost 3-2 so usually, there isn’t a lot between the two teams. They held the Red Devils to a 1-1 draw at St Mary’s earlier this season so they know they have nothing to fear on Saturday.
Southampton are always likely to concede goals due to how they approach the game. They employ a high risk, high reward strategy and in recent weeks, it has been paying dividends. They’ve only lost two of their last ten games and two of their last three away trips have yielded 3-2 wins against Spurs and West Ham. Ward Prowse is a huge threat from dead balls, Broja has added an extra dimension to their attack and The Saints are marching towards a top half finish.
Man Utd v Southampton Possible Lineups
Man Utd: De Gea, Dalot, Varane, Lindelof, Shaw, McTominay, Pogba, Bruno, Rashford, Sancho, Cavani.
Southampton: Forster, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Elyounoussi, Adams, Broja.
Man Utd v Southampton Betting Tip
After watching these two teams in midweek, only one bet makes sense here. Man Utd are struggling to string two good halves together and they look very vulnerable right now. Their last three home performances have been woeful, a 1-0 loss to Wolves, a last gasp 1-0 win vs West ham and a 1-1 draw against Championship side Middlesbrough. Even their 3-1 win vs Burnley was far from convincing.
Southampton, on the other hand, will be bouncing after their win vs Tottenham. They are improving with every passing week and confidence in the camp will be sky high. They may have to withstand early pressure from United but if they are still in the game at half time, the host’s nerves will be jangling. Utd are the 1.63 favs, the draw is 4.4 and the visitors are 6.2 on the machine.
With both teams being suspect defensively, I am backing Southampton to win and both teams to score at 10.5. The Saints have won two of their last three away games 3-2, and odds of 56.0 about that scoreline are too tempting turn down.
