Man Utd v Southampton

Man Utd v Southampton: Saints can sneak a score draw

Paul Higham says a confident Southampton can hold Man Utd to a frustrating draw at Old Trafford in the lunchtime kick-off on Saturday...

Same old problems for United

We've seen this movie before at Man Utd with even new man at the helm Ralf Rangnick struggling to get any sort of consistency from his side, who seem to be following the same old pattern as they did under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Dumped out of the FA Cup on penalties, a slightly undeserved win at Brentford and then a pretty fortunate 93rd-minute winner against West Ham raised hopes again, but a 1-1 at Burnley brought that familiar sinking feeling for Red Devils fans once again.

There's renewed talk of Mauricio Pochettino coming in for next season, but there's an argument that whoever is in charge will struggle with this group of expensive, talented yet constantly underperforming unit.

Paul Pogba returned with a goal at Turf Moor and Cristiano Ronaldo should start here after coming on as a sub against Burnley, but that second half display, especially with Harry Maguire being given a torrid time by Jay Rodriguez, will be yet another big concern.

Saints on song after Spurs stunner

The other Ralph on show here, Saints boss Hasenhuttl, will be flying after watching his side come from behind to pinch a thrilling 3-2 win at Tottenham on Wednesday.

That made it just one defeat in their last seven league games for Saints, with both teams scoring in all seven of those matches as they offer up some entertainment for their fans.

They've only won two in a row once before this season though, and they've not beaten Man Utd in 11 league meetings and won just twice at Old Trafford in 22 Premier League visits - including a 9-0 hammering last season.

Saints couldn't be in better spirits though after the Spurs result, and with United being so in-and-out recently there's always a chance they can catch them cold.

Can't trust Man Utd

I can't imagine even Man Utd fans feeling much excitement about taking 1.64 on the hosts to win this game - even though their record is so good against Saints the trust just isn't there.

It wouldn't even be much of a shock if Southampton pulled off the 6.0 upset, while the 4.4 on the draw may appeal
to many given the respective form shown of late by these two.

That both teams to score record of Southampton needs some attention, again it won't make you rich at 1.81 but the stats back it up and Man Utd, although their defence has improved under Rangnick, looked more than a little shaky against Burnley. And that was Burnley.

A nice nugget for in-play fans sees Man Utd win 36 points from losing positions against Southampton in Premier League history - so although Saints may make a quick start as the form side, that could well be the time to back the Red Devils on the in-play markets.

Anything can happen with United these days, but the score draw at 5.7 looks like a worthwhile play.

Beware of Ward-Prowse

Armando Broja has scored six league goals this season, and he's just the type of player who could bully Harry Maguire at the heart of that United defence, and he's 4.0 to score his second goal in two games.

Everything good in this Southampton team though comes from James Ward-Prowse, and with midfield Man Utd's weak point, he could get time and space to pull more strings.

He's got four goals and four assists in his last seven Premier League games, with three of those goals and three of those assists coming away from home. Ward-Prowse is 6.0 for a goal and 5.5 for an assist at Old Trafford. The latter is the preference.

Cristiano Ronaldo is odds-on to score as he's set to return to the starting line-up and break his five-game goal drought - that's the longest he's gone without a club goal in 13 years.

If Pogba can play again so quickly after his return, and if he starts again he's worth a look, but not in the market you'd expect as he's never scored against Saints but has been booked three times in seven meetings.

You can back Pogba to see yellow at 5.7.