Manchester United will travel to Saint Mary’s Stadium on Saturday, August 27 to face Southampton at 12.30pm. It is Erik ten Hag’s fourth league game in charge of the Red Devils and he will be keen to pick up his second win of the season after overseeing a triumphant 2-1 victory against rivals Liverpool on Monday, August 22.
We consider what team lineup the Dutchman will deploy in order to continue United’s winning form.
Manchester United Predicted Lineup for Clash With Southampton – Harry Maguire Dropped and Casemiro to Start
🗞 There's positive news on @Casemiro but Erik has ruled one attacker out of #SOUMUN…#MUFC || #PL
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 26, 2022
Read more: Manchester United Suffer Blow in Pursuit of ‘World-Class’ International Attacker
Manchester United Recent Form and Tactics
A popular talking point of United’s win against Jurgen Klopp’s side was that Ten Hag made a bold move in benching club captain and centre-back Harry Maguire, who had started the first two games of the Premier League campaign. Both games were losses for the Reds, and they conceded a total of six goals from Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.
The team looked undoubtedly stronger when new signing Lisandro Martinez was paired with four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane, as the two were able to keep Liverpool’s ever-threatening attackers quiet for the majority of the night. Consequently, the Merseyside team were only able to register five shots on target despite having 71% possession.
Read more: Erik ten Hag Confirms Club Captain Harry Maguire Isn’t a Guaranteed Starter From Now On
Five-time Ballon D’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo also started the game on the substitutes bench after offering little on the pitch against Brentford one week prior. Ten Hag opted for a front three of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony Elanga, with the latter hitting the post early in the first half.
The change in line-up paid off, though, as the two Englishmen were United’s only goal scorers of the night with some impressive finishes in front of an adoring Old Trafford crowd. Their goals were enough to see out the three points for their side.
New arrival Tyrell Malacia replaced Luke Shaw in the backline and displayed a relentless performance on his first league start that made the 23-year-old look like a promising candidate for the permanent left-back role.
United’s latest addition Casemiro is eligible to play in Saturday’s fixture.
First day of United training ✔️
💪 @Casemiro #MUFC pic.twitter.com/Yj2btykjQS
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 25, 2022
Manchester United Injuries to Consider
After assisting Rashford with his fine footwork last game, Anthony Martial has been ruled out of the Southampton match with an Achilles injury. The Frenchman also missed the first two league games with a minor hamstring issue.
The only other major absence for the Red Devils is the continued suspension of Mason Greenwood.
Manchester United Lineup Prediction
David de Gea, Diogo Dalot, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Tyrell Malacia, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Current Odds: Southampton vs Manchester United
SkyBet currently have a Southampton win priced at 10/3, a draw at 3/1 and a Manchester United win at 4/6 odds.
