Southampton vs Manchester United
…pull up a seat and enjoy! Because Premier League: Southampton vs Manchester United is usually one of the most entertaining fixtures in the football calendar.
And this weekend’s clash at the St Mary’s Stadium should be no exception as two in-form teams prepare to collide. The Saints are fifth in the league table, five places and four points ahead of their visitors, who come into the game on the back of three straight wins, in all competitions.
The Southampton vs Manchester United betting odds here at SBOTOP have all three results well in play, the visitors are marginal favourites at 2.05 to win, while the Saints have taken 14 points from the last six games.
Talking Points
Theo happy to be home
After such an impressive start to the season Southampton head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl is reluctantly coping without his most potent striker at the moment. Danny Ings was absent for the Saints’ recent clash with Wolves which ended in a 1-1 draw, but summer signing Theo Walcott rolled back the years with the goal which gave Southampton a first half lead. It was his first strike for the club since 2006, where he came to the nation’s attention as a quick striker, becoming England’s youngest ever player at the age of 17.
Theo Walcott celebrates scoring their first goal against Wolves
A move to Arsenal began a 12 year career at the Emirates, before he transferred to Everton and then returned to Southampton on loan. The Saints were denied all three points against Wolves when Pedro Neto levelled but it was a special night for Walcott.
Fellow striker Che Adams is showing why the Saints paid a chunky fee to buy him from Birmingham City in 2019. He struggled to make an impression last term, but his pass to Walcott against Wolves was his third assist this season, and he has also three goals.
Bruno is carrying the Red Devils
He transformed Manchester United’s season when he arrived from Sporting in the midst of the 2019/20 campaign and Bruno Fernandes is at it again, taking Manchester United’s ambition to finish in the top four pretty much on his own shoulders. That’s not to be disrespectful to the rest of a talented squad, but as a midfield player with six goals, he has four more than anyone else, and he is the joint top assist maker, on three, with Marcus Rashford.
Fernandes was far too good for Everton when Manchester United beat the Toffees 1-3, and that was a result and performance which pleased head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after a series of lacklustre showings in the Premier League. He scored the only goal of the game, a twice taken penalty, to win three points against strugglers West Brom last week, and bagged a brace in the Champions League victory over Istanbul Basaksehir. He even gave up the chance of a hat-trick to give Rashford a penalty goal.
While Paul Pogba seems more determined than ever to exit Old Trafford, Fernandes has become the Red Devils most crucial player. Solskjaer must find a way of getting more from his other creative players. Fred is settling well in a defensive midfield role. Juan Mata has the quality but isn’t as quick as he used to be and Nemanja Matic has never been a speed merchant.
It’s time for Rashford and Anthony Martial to find the form of last season, and that would mean Fernandes could afford to have the odd off day…if he must.
History
The Red Devils have dominated the head to head Southampton vs Manchester United results, winning four times as many of the meetings as their opponents, at 28 to seven in the Premier League era, and there have been nine draws.
Both games were drawn last season. Michael Obafemi scored a dramatic 96th minute equaliser to give the Saints a 2-2 result at Old Trafford in July, which stopped the Red Devils climbing into the top four places. They finally did with a victory over Leicester City on the last day but, at the time and with just three games to play, this was a serious blow to United.
But the Saints do like to upset the Red Devils. Way back in 1976, Second Division Southampton beat Manchester United 1-0, in front of 100,000 fans at the FA Cup final. And in 1996, in one of the most bizarre turn of events in Premier League history, they went three nil up by the break, only for United manager Alex Ferguson to instruct his team to change their kit from Grey to Blue. He suggested his players were struggling to see each other; and he may have been right as Ryan Giggs scored a consolation.
Betting Tip
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Southampton vs Manchester United | Over 2.50 @ 1.96 |
| November 29, 22:00 (GMT+8) |
The Saints are at 3.55 to win with the draw at 3.30, and both look a decent price for a team bang in form. But Manchester United are showing signs of improvement though their defence is suspect. I see a high scoring game and for an outside bet, 2-2 at odds of 14.50 is worth a closer look.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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The post Premier League: When Saints and Red Devils Do Battle… appeared first on SBOTOP.