Date/Time: Saturday 2nd March 2019 (Kick-off 4:00 PM CET).
The race for the top four places looks like it is one that could go down to the wire and it means the top clubs can't afford to drop points from matches like this one.
Manchester United will be hosting a Southampton team who were beaten comfortably by Arsenal last weekend and injuries are not an excuse for a club that know the importance of getting back into the Champions League. The 1-3 win at Crystal Palace shows that Manchester United can battle through their current issues and they should have enough attacking threat to expose the defensive vulnerabilities Southampton continue to show.
There are a couple of concerns for Manchester United- they have not won any of their last 3 at Old Trafford and failed to score in their last 2, while Southampton have only lost 1 of their last 5 visits here. In that time Southampton have won twice too, but this team is perhaps not as strong as previous visitors.
The Saints had also been in decent form away from home before the defeat at the Emirates Stadium and they do carry a threat going forward when they are confident. The 2-0 win over Fulham on Wednesday coupled with having nothing to lose from this fixture could mean Southampton are dangerous, but Manchester United should be able to produce a first win at Old Trafford since the middle of January.
It might not always be easy, but United could have some attacking reinforcements in this one and I think they might have just enough to edge out Southampton. They could catch them chasing the game late on to make sure they get a cover of the Asian Handicap too and I will look for that to be the outcome of this one as it was for Arsenal last Sunday.
Prediction: Manchester United - 1 Asian Handicap
T&Cs apply.
