Manchester United will be eager to return to winning ways when they host Southampton at Old Trafford on Thursday.
The curtains will fall on Gameweek 21 of the 2024/25 Premier League season on Thursday. The action on the day will start with the match between Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion at Portman Road before it ends with Manchester United vs Southampton at Old Trafford.
Manchester United have added some much-needed confidence into the camp after two impressive performances in the last ten days. While the Red Devils have not won a game within regulation time in a month, they held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in the Premier League before overcoming Arsenal in the FA Cup third round this past weekend.
Ruben Amorim will hope those results give his charges the confidence to get their season back on track. The Portuguese tactician has already asserted that how his players fare on Thursday will teach him more than the result against Arsenal.
As for Southampton, the managerial change has yet to work, with Ivan Juric yet to manage a point in the Premier League since replacing Russell Martin. However, the comfortable 5-0 win over Swansea City in the FA Cup third round should provide a shot in the arm, and Juric will hope the results improve in the top flight.
The reverse fixture saw Manchester United cruise to a 3-0 win over Southampton, with Matthijs de Ligt, Marcus Rashford, and Alejandro Garnacho finding the back of the net. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Manchester United
Ruben Amorim has a new roster issue hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Manchester United manager will be bereft of the services of five first-team players vs Southampton on Thursday.
Diogo Dalot is the latest absentee, with the Portuguese international serving a one-match ban after seeing red against Arsenal in the FA Cup third-round tie this past weekend. Dalot has joined Jonny Evans (muscle), Luke Shaw (calf), Victor Lindelof (knock), and Mason Mount (hamstring) on the sidelines.
Andre Onana will replace Altay Bayindir between the sticks, with Manchester United lining up in a 3-4-2-1 formation in front of him vs Southampton on Thursday. The central defensive unit should feature Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, and Lisandro Martinez. Meanwhile, Tyrell Malacia will replace Dalot as the left wing-back.
Malacia and Noussair Mazraoui should be the two wing-backs, with the duo providing width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Toby Collyer should make a rare start, affording Kobbie Mainoo some rest. Collyer will accompany Manuel Ugarte in the middle of the park.
Finally, Joshua Zirkzee should lead the line for Manchester United against Southampton at Old Trafford on Thursday night, with Amad Diallo and Bruno Fernandes completing the numbers in the offensive trifecta.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Onana; Yoro, Maguire, Martinez; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Collyer, Malacia; Diallo, Bruno Fernandes; Zirkzee
Southampton
Unlike his counterpart in the Manchester United dugout, Ivan Juric has greeted positive updates on the team news front ahead of the trip to Old Trafford. The Southampton manager might be without only two first-team players on Thursday.
Flynn Downes has resumed training after recovering from a thigh injury and should be in contention to take on Manchester United. In addition, Will Smallbone is closing in on returning to action. So, Jack Stephens (knock) and Ross Stewart (muscle) are the only players on the sidelines.
Aaron Ramsdale is the automatic pick between the sticks, with Southampton lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him vs Manchester United on Thursday. The central defensive unit should feature Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jan Bednarek, and Nathan Wood. James Bree and Kyle Walker-Peters will likely start as the two wing-backs.
As for the midfield unit, Mateus Fernandes will line up alongside the resurgent Lesley Ugochukwu in the central areas. Finally, Cameron Archer will spearhead the Southampton attack against Manchester United, with Tyler Dibling and Kamaldeen Sulemana being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Ramsdale; Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Wood; Bree, Ugochukwu, Mateus Fernandes, Walker-Peters; Dibling, Archer, Sulemana
Key Stats
- Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 15 Premier League games vs Southampton (W7 D8) since a 1-0 home loss in January 2016. The Saints have lost 13 of their first 14 Premier League away meetings but have subsequently been defeated on only three of their last ten visits to Old Trafford
- Manchester United have lost five of their seven most recent Premier League matches, winning only once. They have suffered a defeat in three successive Premier League fixtures at Old Trafford for the first time in 45 years.
- Southampton are statistically the worst-ever side after 20 games of a Premier League season: their tally of six points is the same as Sunderland’s record 19 years ago, although the Saints have a worse goal difference of -32.
- Southampton are winless in their last 17 Premier League away games, their longest stretch of top-flight matches on the road without a victory since a sequence of 19 fixtures ended in February 1986.
- Nine of Manchester United’s 28 Premier League goals conceded this season have been headers, while nine have come from corners, both league-high ratios of 32%.
Player to Watch
Amad Diallo
Bruno Fernandes and Mateus Fernandes were viable candidates for this section, but we have picked Amad Diallo as our Player to Watch for Thursday’s Premier League match. While Bruno Fernandes remains a talismanic figure for Manchester United, Diallo is quickly growing in stature.
The 22-year-old has been involved in nine goals in his 12 most recent Premier League starts for Manchester United, scoring three and assisting six. The Ivory Coast international can become the first African player to reach double figures for goal involvement in a single campaign for the Red Devils. Expect another game-changing performance by the confident playmaker.
Prediction
Manchester United 3-1 Southampton
Premier League victories continue to elude Southampton, but the performances have improved in recent weeks. The Saints carry more threat in the final third, and Manchester United cannot take them lightly on Thursday.
However, the gulf in class between the two sides should prove telling as the minutes wear on. While Southampton will take the game to Manchester United, Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo should run the show. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Ruben Amorim and his charges.
