Southampton face a tricky test as they welcome Manchester United to St Mary’s this weekend.
The Saints will be hoping to get their first points on the board for the 2024/25 Premier League campaign after losing their first three games of the season.
Southampton have scored just one goal so far in the league, courtesy of Yuki Sugawara, who has been one of the few good performers for Russell Martin’s side, and it has highlighted the real lack of impact from the Saints’ current frontline.
Martin’s side certainly invested in attackers over the summer, with Ben Brereton Diaz and Cameron Archer joining on permanent deals, however very little threat has been noticed by the pairing, raising the alarms for Southampton and whether they have Premier League quality within their side.
They will be looking to potentially turn it around against Manchester United at home.
Paul Merson believes Southampton vs Manchester United could be a ‘nightmare game’
Manchester United are by no means in good form so far in the Premier League, with one win and two defeats on the board so far, however they will certainly be favourites at St Mary’s.
Per SportsKeeda, Premier League legend Paul Merson has given his predictions for the game, where he said: “Despite the fact that Southampton are struggling big time, this is still a tricky game for Manchester United. You don’t want to get beat by this Southampton side. That’s exactly why it’s also a bit of a nightmare game for Erik ten Hag.
“I expect Southampton to struggle this season and based on what I’ve seen so far, I can’t see them getting anything out of this game.
“Southampton 0-3 Manchester United.”
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Southampton could bag surprise result against Manchester United
After such a disappointing start to the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Southampton are already going to have to show character to pick up points even when they are not the favourites.
Previous performances have certainly indicated that Southampton are by no means Premier League ready, however it is certainly still very early doors.
With Manchester United, it all depends on their mentality going into the game as, despite the brilliant ability they have on paper, they are certainly on the inconsistent side and could easily struggle against Southampton if Martin’s side steps up.
There will need to be a lot more emphasis on getting the ball forward by Martin, and then they could stand a chance of performing against Manchester United and potentially getting their first points on the board.
Favourable games against the likes of Ipswich Town and Bournemouth follow in the league, and it will be massively beneficial if Martin’s side can turn up to those games following a solid performance against Manchester United.