The Saints host Sir Alex Ferguson’s men, who earned their first three points of the season against Fulham last weekend.
Southampton:
It’s been a far from a glamorous Premier League return for Nigel Adkins’ men, who have suffered two losses on the trot.
Reigning champions Manchester City got the better of them in a closely contested 3-2 victory, while Wigan looked unusually superior at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Though their results have been far from impressive, the club have the attacking prowess to threaten http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-c10409 De Gea’s goal, when United come to visit.
Manchester United:
Sir http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alex-c4752 Ferguson finally got his hands on a win in the last game, masterminding a narrow 3-2 win over the Cottagers at Old Trafford. Now with the team settling in, the Scot will look to build on their momentum and get another triumph under their belt.
Team News:
Southampton:
Adkins is likely to name his strongest line-up when the Manchester giants come to visit and will be able to call upon Jack Cork, who has been struggling with an ankle injury in recent weeks.
With relatively injury free squad, the tactician will turn to last season’s top scorer Rickie Lambert when it comes finding the back of the net.
Defensively the team has to cut down the attacking prowess of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Shinji-Kagawa-c33364 and Robin Van Persie, both of whom tend to strike right in the middle. The likes of Nathaniel Clyne will have to be at their very best if the home side are to come away with a positive
result from the game.
Manchester United:
For Fergie this game will probably represent a sigh of relief, as the coach will finally be able to rid http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Michael-Carrick-c25282 of his defensive duties.
The midfielder has been forced to play at the back for the opening two games, but should return to a familiar midfield role when the side travel to Southampton.
Phil Jones could be in contention for a place on the bench, while Jonny Evans is fully fit and should be named in the starting line-up for this one. The wings, though, will remain the same, with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Patrice-Evra-c29231 and Rafael continuing their above-average start
to the season.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Wayne-Rooney-c36736 has been sidelined with a severe gash, while Ashley Young is a surprise omission following a
knock on the knee, meaning a return for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ryan-Giggs-c31985.
Sir Alex Ferguson spoke to reporters today about his side’s latest injuries, but revealed that the Evans’ return will be very warm welcome.
"In terms of injuries, it was nice of the FA to let everyone know Ashley Young is injured. He's out after the injury last week. It's not serious. Centre-back is our main concern at the moment. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Jonny-Evans-c19085 played on Wednesday [against Tottenham at Under-21
level] and came through fine. He's the strongest option we've got.”
“http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Phil-Jones-c29903 has done some training but isn't ready yet. Rio Ferdinand's in the same boat. At least we have one centre-back available, which is an improvement. It allows us to put Michael Carrick back in midfield,” said the Scot.
Kagawa is United’s poster boy at the moment and will be the fulcrum in attack, just behind main striker http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Robin-van-Persie-c31380.
Key Players:
Southampton: Rickie Lambert
Facing arguably the biggest challenge of his life, Lambert will have to match http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nemanja-Vidic-c27550 for every ball and pass, if he is to get on the score sheet and earn a positive result for his club.
Manchester United: Shinji Kagawa
The Japanese star has played an influential role in the start of the season and in Wayne Rooney’s absence will continue his fine form.
Prediction:
Southampton 0-3 Manchester United
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