In this article…
Southampton v Man United
📅
Kick Off: Saturday 14th September at 12:30
🏆
Competition: Premier League
📺
Watch Live: TNT Sports 1
Newly promoted Southampton take on struggling Manchester United at St. Mary’s Stadium in the Premier League’s lunchtime kick-off on Saturday in what’s shaping up to be another tricky test for the Red Devils on the south coast.
The Saints are still searching for their first point of the season, however, despite their poor start to life back in the top tier, Southampton will believe they can make life awkward for a United outfit that’s on the cusp of another crisis.
Southampton v Man United Best Bets
➡️ Man United to win @ 1.75 on Paddy Power
➡️ Over 2.5 goals & both teams to score @ 1.95 on Paddy Power
Manchester United are in desperate need of a pick-me-up and a clash with generous defenders Southampton could be just the tonic.
United’s own poor early season form has massaged their prices into a favourable 1.75 to win at St. Mary’s Stadium and there are reasons to be enthusiastic about their chances.
The Saints’ backline has been too easy for opponents to bypass this season and despite dominating 64% and 63% of the ball in their last two Premier League fixtures against Nottingham Forest and Brentford before the international break, Southampton conceded 43 shots combined (Forest – 23, Brentford – 20) en route to defeat in both games.
United have been creating good chances since the summer without converting them, though several of their attack-minded players enjoyed productive international breaks and sharper finishing can be expected on Saturday.
Elsewhere, combining over 2.5 goals with both teams to score offers excellent value at 1.95. Both Southampton and United conceded five goals in their first three matches and look ill-equipped to keep clean sheets at present.
United also tend to make life hard for themselves on the road under and nine of their last 11 Premier League away fixtures featured three or more goals, while BTTS landed in nine of the same games.
📂 Southampton v Man United Cheat Sheet
Get best bets sent to your inbox, it’s free.
The Premier League is back in full swing for the 24/25 season and our signature football betting predictions are back in full action. Make sure to check out the plethora of Premier League bet builder tips and Premier League accumulator tips to give yourself the best chance of backing a winner this weekend.
It doesn’t stop there either, with a selection of both teams to score tips, along with player prop market predictions to fold into bet builders, like our card betting tips, player shots on target tips, and fouls betting predictions as well as our new Premier League anytime goalscorer predictions.
If you enjoy this betting preview, be sure to check out our bet builder tips too, featuring our expert’s favourite bet builder selections.
📊 Southampton Form and Stats
Tipped as prime relegation candidates before a ball was kicked, Southampton have done little to suggest they can re-establish themselves as a Premier League force in the campaign’s opening exchanges.
A return of three defeats from three assignments has left the Saints in second-last position just head of Everton, while the one goal Southampton have managed so far makes them the division’s joint-lowest scoring side alongside Crystal Palace.
Only three clubs have conceded more in xGA (5.30) than Southampton since the start of the fresh season, while only four teams have fared worse for shots on target mustered per 90 minutes (3.33).
Despite dominating possession on each occasion, Russell Martin’s ailing troops conceded 2.20 and 2.80 in xGA against Nottingham Forest (0-1) and Brentford (3-1) in their last two Premier League outings.
Indeed, only Tottenham (68.3%) have posted higher average possession-per-game figures than Southampton (68.0%) so far, though only four sides have conceded more shots per 90 than the Saints (15.33) and their commitment to playing out from the back has been landing them in hot water.
Summer signing Yukinari Sugawara has been a bright spark, however. The Japanese wingback has been averaging 1.75 shots and 0.87 shots on target per 90 from his berth on the right flank.
Flynn Downes has been in the thick of the action in midfield and alongside committing 2.00 fouls per 90 minutes, the 25-year-old has been drawing 1.67 fouls (p/90) himself.
📊 Man United Form and Stats
The 2024/25 Premier League campaign is still in its infancy, however, United’s fourth fixture of the season at Southampton on Saturday already feels like a potentially significant juncture for under-fire coach, Erik ten Hag.
Despite another lofty summer spend, sluggish United have failed to impress, suffering defeats in each of their last two league assignments against Brighton and Liverpool before the recent international hiatus.
United’s “game model” featured a couple of new facets on matchday one against Fulham (1-0), with Mason Mount’s role as an advanced pressing trigger allowing the Red Devils to enjoy periods of sustained pressure, though the midfielder’s injury halfway through the loss to Albion sparked a return to last season’s tactical chaos.
Ten Hag’s charges conceded 2.10 and 1.80 in xGF to Brighton and Liverpool respectively, and they were the architects of their own downfall on each occasion, with individual errors and suspect positioning leaving them all too open on turnovers of possession.
United have also been wasteful in attack and despite lodging the joint-fourth highest xGF combined in the league so far (5.20), they have missed nine big chances in three games. In fact, no club has missed more.
Marcus Rashford still looks devoid of inspiration and despite starting all three of United’s first three Premier League fixtures, the out-of-form 26-year-old failed to clock even a single attempt.
Joshua Zirkzee (1.69) and Bruno Fernandes (1.05), who both scored during the international break, have outshone Rashford in the shots on target per 90 realm, while Kobbie Mainoo (2.41 fouls & 2.41 fouls against per 90) is a player with credentials in two markets in midfield.
⚔️ Southampton v Man United Head-to-Head
Manchester United have been the dominant force in this fixture over the last 20 years in terms of results, however, recent encounters between the clubs have been close run things with margins routinely wafer thin.
United are unbeaten in 15 previous visits to play Southampton in Hampshire, winning ten and drawing five of those contests, though four of the last seven tussles between the sides at St. Mary’s Stadium finished all square.
The sides last shared a division during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign and both meetings that term were low on action with United eking out a 1-0 win at Southampton (Aug) and the Saints later frustrating their hosts at Old Trafford (0-0, Mar).
Indeed, each of the last four meetings between Southampton and United have produced under 2.5 goals, though that trend could be bucked this weekend, with both teams toiling in defensive areas.
United skipper Bruno Fernandes has been a key protagonist in this fixture since 2020 and the Portuguese supremo has scored three times in seven previous appearances against the Saints, including the seventh goal in the Mancunians’ Premier League record-equalling 9-0 annihilation of Southampton in February 2021.
Football Predictions at Andy’s Bet Club
There are so many ways to use our bet builder stats tool and our Cheat Sheets. Everyone should take their time to find their own approach, but our guide on how to use a Cheat Sheet is a great place to start if you’re unsure how to make the most of them.
We aim to help all our readers bet smarter, and our guides to the best betting sites for accumulators and the top bet builder sites, along with our collections of free bet offers and weekly free bet clubs, are perfect starting points to ensure your money goes further when betting with the best UK sports betting sites.
Our experts have also put together helpful guides, such as this one on xG in football, all aimed at giving you the skills and knowledge to level up your punting game.
* We recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.
* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.
