Southampton and Manchester United will go head to head at St Mary’s on Wednesday night in the penultimate game of the long 2016/17 Premier League campaign.
It will mark the third clash overall between the two clubs this season after meeting at Old Trafford way back in August and then again at Wembley for the EFL Cup final.
Classic Encounter(s)
Two of the most famous Premier League games between United and Southampton came at The Dell, a 3-1 defeat in April 1996 most remembered for Alex Ferguson ordering his team to change kit at half-time, followed a 6-3 humiliation on the south coast just six months later.
On that particularly infamous day in April, goals from Ken Monkou, Neil Shipperley and Matt Le Tissier put the Saints 3-0 up before half-time. United had had issues with their grey away kit all season, citing visibility issues, and the visitors surprisingly re-emerged from the interval wearing their blue and white third strip instead.
A Ryan Giggs goal in the 89th minute was scant consolation. Somewhat ironically, United were actually wearing the same blue and white kit for the 6-3 annihilation, little good that it did.
Recent Form
Southampton – LLDDLW (last 6)
Man Utd – WWDDLL (last 6)
Neither side comes into this game in especially good form, winning just three Premier League games between them in their last 12 combined.
Southampton’s win over already relegated Middlesbrough on Saturday was their first league victory since early April. The Saints have had a much more middle of the road season under the management of Claude Puel, although it may perversely serve them better come the summer after dipping relatively under the radar.
Despite progress in Europe, United are currently on a dismal league run of four straight games without a win that has seen their chances of a top four place go up in smoke. Back-to-back defeats in north London in recent weeks has Jose Mourinho’s team on a serious downer.
Team News
Southampton: Puel has no new injury worries ahead of the game and could make a number of changes after fielding a heavily rotated side at the weekend.
Shane Long and Jay Rodriguez are vying with Manolo Gabbiadini for a place up front and Charlie Austin could once more feature after making his return from injury as a substitute on Saturday. Matt Targett is another returning absentee who might hope to be involved.
Man Utd: For Mourinho it’s now all about managing fitness ahead of next week’s Europa League final in Stockholm. There are no new injury problems to contend with, but a raft of changes are expected once more. Daley Blind will definitely be rested.
There could even be opportunities for young pair Scott McTominay and Demetri Mitchell after both were left out of Under-23 duty this week.
Expected Lineups
Southampton (4-2-3-1): Forster; Soares, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand; Romeu, Davis; Ward-Prowse, Tadic, Redmond; Gabbiadini
Man Utd (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Valencia, Jones, Smalling, Darmian; Fellaini, Herrera; Mata, Rooney, Lingard; Rashford
Prediction
This is a tough one to call. Southampton have nothing left to play for this season and are safe in the knowledge that mid-table obscurity might save their team from being carved up in the summer, while Manchester United clearly have other more pressing priorities.
It could be an opportunity for the Saints to claim a good scalp to help finish the season on a high, but this might also be a last chance for certain United players to stake their claim for a place in the Europa League final. Both sides may even just cancel each other out.
Southampton 1-1 Manchester United
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