Man United were held to a 0-0 draw by Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend but on Tuesday they will have the chance to pick up a win when they take on Southampton at home.
The draw vs the Gunners mean Ole’s men could not dethrone Man City from the top spot and by the time they take on the Saints, Man United could even slip down to the third spot – depending on how Leicester City perform vs Leeds United.
Solskjaer does not have too many injuries to deal right now with but the Man United forwards are suddenly looking out of ideas in the final third and this could hand a clear advantage to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side in midweek.
Man United are undefeated in their last 10 matches against Southampton in all competitions and on top of that, the Saints have lost their last three league matches. So clearly, the home side should be coming out of this match with nothing but all three points.
Man United team news vs Southampton:
De Gea will stay in goal but the defensive line infront of him could see a few changes with Lindelof expected to move to the bench as Eric Bailly comes into the side.
Luke Shaw has been stellar this season but the England international could be rested in midweek in which case summer signing Alex Telles will get to start.
Scott McTominay had to be taken off the pitch in the first half of the Arsenal match due to stomach cramps and we doubt if he will be ready by Tuesday or not.
The manager said after the match, as per the club’s official website: “Yeah, [it’s his] stomach. Maybe the food in the hotel or whatever it was. He struggled so we had to take him off.”
If McTominay is not fit then Nemanja Matic could come into the side alongside Paul Pogba. Ole also has the chance to keep Fred in the starting line-up beside the Frenchman.
Bruno Fernandes once again had a poor outing against a top-six side and maybe it’s time that Solskjaer opts to use Donny van de Beek in the attacking midfielder’s role and give a much-deserved rest to the Portuguese.
Anthony Martial replaced McTominay against Arsenal in the 37th minute of the match but the Frenchman is likely to remain on the bench against Southampton as Mason Greenwood comes back into the side.
If Greenwood starts then Rashford will move to the left flank with Edinson Cavani playing down the middle.
Man United’s predicted line-up vs Southampton:
Predicted Starting Line-up: De Gea; Alex Telles, Harry Maguire, Eric Bailly, Aaron Wan-Bissaka; Fred/Nemanja Matic, Paul Pogba, Van de Beek/Fernandes; Rashford, Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood.
