Southampton will be looking to end Manchester United’s unbeaten start to the Premier League season on Saturday.
Southampton face what should be their toughest test of the season so far when they host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday.
United are second in the table currently, but only on alphabetical order as they boast exactly the same record as Manchester City, so Mauricio Pellegrino’s men face an uphill task trying to secure their third win of the season.
The Saints beat Crystal Palace last time out, with Steven Davis’ early goal dashing Roy Hodgson’s hopes of getting off to a flyer at Selhurst Park.
With no Carabao Cup fixtures to contend with in midweek, it would be no surprise to see Pellegrino to stick with most of the side that beat the Eagles.
Mario Lemina was brilliant in the middle of the park, while Shane Long’s running arguably vindicated the decision to leave Manolo Gabbiadini on the bench, and that may see the Republic of Ireland international keep his place.
However, Gabbiadini was simply exceptional when he faced United in the EFL Cup final last season – when he deserved a hat-trick – so Long’s place is certainly not set in stone.
The most notable change we expect involves Virgil van Dijk. The Dutchman made his first-team return against Palace as a substitute and put in an excellent display for the under-23s in midweek, so perhaps Pellegrino will take a chance on him given that they are facing a United side that has scored 16 times in just five league games.
With that in mind, here is the Southampton lineup we are expecting in full…
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