Southampton welcome Manchester United to St. Mary’s for Sunday’s early kick-off in the Premier League.
With just two defeats from their opening nine games, Saints find themselves fifth in the table – just three points behind league leaders Tottenham Hotspur.
Meanwhile, four wins from their opening eight games mean Man Utd are tenth – four points behind Southampton.
After losing their first two matches this term, Southampton are now enjoying a seven-match unbeaten streak (five wins, two draws).
In fact, Saints have only lost two of their last 16 Premier League outings – a run stretching back to the end of last season.
Despite racking up 20 shots (nine on target), Southampton were held to a draw by Wolves last time out. Theo Walcott gave his side the lead, but Pedro Neto scored a late equaliser.
Still, the south coast side have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three home games, so they will be happy to be back at St. Mary’s this weekend.
Only three teams – Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea – have lost fewer Premier League matches than Saints this term. It’s safe to say that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men have made an excellent start to the campaign.
On the other hand, by their own high standards, Manchester United have made a below-par start to the 2020/21 season.
The Red Devils have only managed to pick up 13 points from a possible 24 this term, scoring 13 goals while conceding 14.
However, after only managing to win two of their opening six matches, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side head into the weekend on the back on consecutive victories.
Following a 3-1 win over Everton before the international break, Man Utd edged past West Brom 1-0 last weekend, thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty.
The Portuguese star has nine goals and five assists in all competitions this term, including three goals and one assist in the Champions League, where Man Utd have won three of their four group games so far.
Head-to-head: Southampton and Man Utd played out two draws last season – 1-1 at St. Mary’s and 2-2 at Old Trafford.
This means that Man Utd haven’t lost any of their previous nine meeting with Southampton (four wins, five draws).
Team news: Southampton are without key striker Danny Ings for a few more weeks, while Mohammed Salisu and Will Smallbone are also injured.
Man Utd could be without as many as eight first-team players this weekend. Paul Pogba and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are among the notable possible absentees.
Southampton have made a strong start the season, while Man Utd haven’t been at their best. However, it is difficult to ignore United’s recent record against Saints.
Forebet foresees at high-scoring encounter on Sunday. Over 4.5 goals are likely to be scored, with Man Utd coming out on top.