Manchester United sit top of the table after the first week of Premier League competition. Is this the year they finally contend for the league title all the way to the finish? It hasn’t happened since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Week two sees the Red Devils take on a much weaker side, in Southampton FC, whom they have dominated lately, so it’s fair to say United could stay in the penthouse perch after this weekend’s action. Especially since they have a host of players coming back into the squad, and thus adding options and depth.
Manchester United at Southampton FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sun Aug 22, 2pm BST, St. Mary’s
Team news for both sides: go here
Odds: United Win 4/6 Draw 10/3 Southampton Win 9/2
Series History: United Wins 28 Draws 9 Southampton Wins 7
Let’s take a look at who manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might select in his first team.
Manchester United Starting XI Prediction at Southampton FC
Greenwood
Pogba Fernandes Sancho
McTominay Fred
Shaw Maguire Lindelof Wan-Bissaka
De Gea
We’re still at least three, maybe four, players away from what OGS could select in his strongest possible first team, but this is still a very strong side nonetheless. Look for Sancho to get on the board with his first goal in a United shirt.
Prediction: United 3, Southampton 0
Saints blew a 2-0 lead at home to lose this match 3-2 last season. Meanwhile the reverse fixture at Old Trafford was see above. Hard to not pick a United win here.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune.
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