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Manchester United vs Southampton: Premier League preview, team news & predicted starting XI

Manchester United will return to league action this weekend as they face Southampton in another round of the Premier League campaign.

The Red Devils have performed well this season but suffered a humiliating 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in their last league game.

Southampton have struggled to impress this season but returned to winning ways last weekend with a 1-0 win over Leicester City.

The Red Devils picked up a 1-0 win when the two teams faced off earlier in the season to extend their unbeaten run against the Saints to 14 games and will be targeting victory here.

When and where will the game take place?

United will return to Old Trafford this weekend for the league clash.

The game is set to be played on Sunday afternoon as one of the three Premier League matches slated for that time.

Match Preview

Manchester United

United’s brilliant run of form came to a crashing halt last weekend after a horrid result at Anfield.

Erik ten Hag demanded a reaction from his men and they responded with a dominant 4-1 win over Real Betis in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday.

The front four of Marcus Rashford, Antony, Bruno Fernandes and Wout Weghorst all got on the scoresheet at Old Trafford in a game where United could easily have seven.

The quartet are expected to retain their starting berth this weekend, while Anthony Martial could also return from injury.

Southampton

The visitors have endured an underwhelming campaign, prompting the dismissal of managers Ralph Hasenhuttl and Nathan Jones.

Southampton are 19th in the league table with just 21 points picked but are trusting boss Ruben Selles to secure safety.

They suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Grimsby Town in the FA Cup earlier in the month but shook that off to beat struggling Leicester last weekend.

Carlos Alcaraz, who scored the only goal against the Foxes last time out, is doubtful for the trip to Old Trafford after picking up an injury early after the restart.

Players to watch – Fred vs Ward-Prowse

Both managers are fighting for points at opposite ends of the table and are expected to field strong starting XIs this weekend.

Fred has had a consistent run of appearances since Christian Eriksen’s injury. However, he has produced sub-par performances in his last two games and will be keen to step things up this weekend.

James Ward-Prowse has been Southampton’s most reliable player in a disappointing campaign for the Saints.

The team captain has helped his side pick up important points this season and will be looking to spearhead a memorable victory on Sunday.

Manchester United vs Southampton Predicted XI

Manchester United (4-2-3-1): David de Gea; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw; Casemiro, Fred; Antony, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford; Wout Weghorst.

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Gavin Bazunu; Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Jan Bednarek, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Kyle Walker-Peters; James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia; Theo Walcott, Mohamed Elyounoussi; Kamaldeen Sulemana; Che Adams.