
Manchester United might have picked up a couple of positive results recently, but they are still in the bottom half of the table and a few more defeats could see them in trouble. Southampton are already in trouble as they are rock bottom with just one win under their belt.
We all know that Manchester United are not the force they used to be, but even they should be able to steamroll a poor Southampton side in front of a full house at Old Trafford.
Ruben Amorim has been in charge at United since November, and although there has been some improvement they still find themselves in the bottom half and a million miles away from being title contenders.
They have improved a bit recently as they held Premier League leaders Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at Anfield, before dumping out Arsenal on penalties in the FA Cup.
United have not won in the Premier League since they beat Manchester City on December 15. They have gone four matches with only that point at Liverpool to show for their efforts.
Marcus Rashford is still not being considered by Amorim with AC Milan and Barcelona showing interest in the England international.
Diogo Dalot misses this game due to suspension after being sent off against Arsenal, while Jonny Evans, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount are still out injured.
We do not like writing teams off with so many games left, but it is not looking good for Southampton.
The Saints have only won one game all season and they are currently on a three-game losing streak in the Premier League.
Their only win came on November 2 when they ran out 1-0 winners at home against Everton. They have now gone 10 Premier League matches without a win - a run of eight defeats and two draws.
Scotland international Ross Stewart could return to action after three months out with a calf problem. Flynn Downes is an injury concern with a leg injury he picked up at the end of last year.
Manchester United have the upper hand over Southampton in their overall meetings. The Red Devils have won 54 of their 97 encounters with the Saints being victorious on 17 occasions.
These two met in the Premier League back in September with Matthijs de Ligt, Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho all scoring in a 3-0 success.
Southampton last beat Manchester United at Old Trafford in January 2016 with Charlie Austin scoring the only goal of the game. This was the last time the Saints beat United in any competition.
Manchester United fans, players and owners will not be happy that they find themselves in 14th position with just six wins all season. Their squad on paper should be competing for Europe and they will be hoping it won’t be long until Amorim has them firing on all cylinders.
Southampton were always going to be up against it following their promotion last season. They have found it really hard and are rock bottom with six points. They are already eight points behind closest relegation rivals Leicester City.
Manchester United might not be challenging for major honours at the moment, but there will be something definitely wrong if they do not take three points off Southampton at home on Thursday evening.
Manchester United are the clear favourites with BetMGM. They can be backed at 7/25 to take all three points. The Saints are 19/2 to claim their second win of the season with the draw on offer at 23/5.
Joshua Zirkzee will be full of confidence after he dispatched the winning penalty to see United knock Arsenal out of the FA Cup at the weekend.
It was only a few short weeks ago that the Old Trafford crowd booed Zirkzee when he was taken off in the first half.
He has since worked hard and impressed when he came on against Arsenal. We expect him to feature at Old Trafford and get on the score sheet to prove to the United fans he is worthy of playing for them.
Another player who seems to be hit and miss and only performs when his confidence is high is Alejandro Garnacho.
Everyone at United will be on a high after beating Arsenal because they proved they can win the big games when it matters. This means Garnacho will be happy and when he is happy he plays well, we are backing him to also find the back of the net.
We are predicting it will be a long night for the Saints and we are backing United to win this game to nil.
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