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Manchester United travel to the South Coast to face Southampton after their shocking defeat to Crystal Palace at home in the Premier League last week. The Red Devils have dropped four points in their last two games after an emphatic 4-0 win over Chelsea. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men are currently facing severe criticism due to their performances against Wolves and Crystal Palace.
Southampton, on the other hand, picked up their first win of the season against Brighton Hove Albion after losing their first two games. The Saints, led by Ralph Hasenhüttl have improved significantly, after suffering a relegation scare in the previous season.
After Palace's heroics at Old Trafford, the Saints will surely see the possibility of extending Manchester United's winless streak to three matches.
Here are three reasons why Southampton can pull off a positive result over Mthe Red Devils.
#1 United's injury woes
Aside from the disappointing result at home last week, Solskjaer's side also suffered a couple of injury blows as well. Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial will be sitting out of Saturday's clash against the Saints. As a result, the Norweigan tactician will have to start Ashley Young at left-back, which will not go down well with the United faithful.
Anthony Martial started the campaign with two goals in his first two games and showed early signs of promise. Now, Solskjaer will have a selection headache and will have to field a replacement who is capable of supporting Marcus Rashford up front.
While Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood impressed during the preseason, it is unlikely that Solskjaer would start the teenagers on a tricky fixture away from home.
The Saints can use United's injury problems to their strengths by fielding a side that shuts down longballs to Rashford and Daniel James. Further, Martial's absence would force the visitors to experiment with the side and it could go against them.
#2 Southampton's resilient performance against Liverpool at home
After a 3-0 annihilation at the hands of Burnley on the opening week of the new season, Southampton welcomed Liverpool to the St. Mary's stadium. Surprisingly, Hasenhüttl's men managed to put forth a positive performance against the current Champions League holders. They had 14 attempts on goal, only one less than Liverpool, and also managed to split open the defence on multiple occasions. The Austrian manager will surely take positives from that game and field his side with a similar mentality against the Red Devils.
Hasenhuttl will choose to go with a 3-5-2 with wingbacks stretching the opposition backline. Southampton's creative midfield comprising of James Ward-Prowse, Oriol Romeu, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg is capable of finding pockets of space. Naturally, they will look to play to their strengths by defending compactly and hitting the away side on the counter.
#3 Manchester United could crumble under pressure
Solskjaer knows that after last season's weak finish and the reinforcements that the board made, his side will have to deliver dominant performances.
However, despite restoring stability after taking over in December, he hasn't managed to revive the confidence of some players. Jesse Lingard continues to struggle for form, while Pogba and Rashford received severe criticism after two crucial penalty misses in their last two games.
Pundits and fans fear that these early blemishes could become a routine that would drive them away from the top-four race. In a league where there is heavy competition for the UEFA Champions League spots, Manchester United cannot afford to drop points regularly. The pressure to deliver could get the better of both the manager as well as his players. Therefore, this could provide a psychological boost for Southampton.
Furthermore, the Saints have a reasonably good form at home against the top sides, where they beat both North London clubs Tottenham and Arsenal last season.
Southampton held Manchester United to a 2-2 draw the last time the Red Devils visited the Saint Mary's stadium. Hasenhüttl will hope for more of the same from his side, and avoid making costly mistakes. He can use United's weaknesses to his advantage, and inspire his team in causing the biggest upset of the week.
