Southampton vs Manchester United Premier League Match Preview
In their last league meeting in February, Manchester United inflicted a 9-0 defeat on Southampton, the joint-biggest Premier League victory in history, with the other two games also involving Man Utd and the Saints: Man Utd 9-0 Ipswich in March 1995 and Southampton 0-9 Leicester City in October 2019.
Southampton won four of their last six Premier League matches against Man Utd at the Dell (L2) but have beaten them just once in 13 league meetings at St Mary’s (D4 L8), a 1-0 win in August 2003 with James Beattie scoring the winner. They are winless in 10 home league games against the Red Devils (D4 L6), despite taking the lead in six of those games.
Manchester United have recovered 35 points from losing positions in Premier League games against Southampton, more than any side has against another in the competition’s history. The Red Devils 10 comeback wins against Saints is also the joint most for one side against a specific opponent in the competition (Man Utd also 10 vs Newcastle).
Manchester United are unbeaten in their last 26 away Premier League matches (W17 D9) and a win or draw here would see the Red Devils equal the longest away unbeaten in English top-flight history, set by Arsenal in a 27-game run between April 2003 and September 2004.
Southampton have won their first home league match of the season in just three of the last 30 seasons (D12 L15), and haven’t done so in any of their nine seasons since returning to the Premier League in 2012-13 (D5 L4).
Manchester United scored five goals in their season opener against Leeds United (5-1 win), while the most they have scored through their opening two games of a Premier League season is eight (in 2017-18 under José Mourinho and 2006-07 under Sir Alex Ferguson).
After scoring in his first Premier League game for Southampton, Adam Armstrong will be looking to become the third player to score in his first two games for the Saints in the competition, after Manolo Gabbiadini in 2017 and Henri Camara in 2005.
Bruno Fernandes is yet to end on the losing side in any of his 25 away Premier League matches for Manchester United (W16 D9) and avoiding defeat in this game would see him equal the longest away unbeaten run by a Premier League player from the start of their career in the competition, set by Gabriel Jesus for Manchester City (first 26 games between February 2017 and December 2018).
Che Adams has been directly involved in four goals in his last four Premier League games for Southampton (two goals, two assists), as many direct goal involvements as he recorded in his previous 21 appearances.
Despite only playing 45 minutes in each Premier League game against Southampton last season, Edinson Cavani scored three goals and assisted once for Manchester United, scoring a 90th-minute winning goal in a 3-2 win over the Saints at St. Mary’s.
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