MX23RW : Saturday, November 23 21:19:56| >> :60:1127:1127:

Preview: Manchester United vs. Southampton

Preview: Manchester United vs. Southampton
© PA Photos
Sports Mole previews Wednesday's Premier League clash between Manchester United and Southampton at Old Trafford.

Manchester United welcome Southampton to Old Trafford on Wednesday looking to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

The gap could be just two points should Manchester City overcome Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday, with Sir Alex Ferguson's side keen to keep a healthy advantage as the season gathers pace.

United have never had more points at this stage of the season (59) than they have registered in 24 games, while their strikers have been full of goals in recent weeks with Wayne Rooney scoring seven in his last eight games, Javier Hernandez five in his last five and Robin van Persie 10 goals in his last 10 league fixtures.

Southampton, meanwhile, have improved in recent weeks. Despite early struggles, they have just lost one of their last five matches in all competitions, a run of form that has moved them into 15th position in the table, ahead of the likes of Newcastle United and Aston Villa. However, they have lost their last five league fixtures at Old Trafford.

Van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Shinji Kagawa and Rio Ferdinand were all rested for the FA Cup win over Fulham at the weekend and are expected to return. However, the match has come too soon for Jonny Evans and Ashley Young, who will be missing with hamstring and knee injuries respectively.

Southampton, meanwhile, are expected to name the same team that draw with Everton last time out. Vegard Foren is pushing for his debut, but it is unlikely that he will come straight into the team. Meanwhile, skipper Adam Lallana is still struggling with a knee injury.

Recent form:

Manchester United: DWWDW
Southampton: DLWDD

Possible lineups:

Manchester United: De Gea; Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Jones, Carrick, Kagawa; Van Persie, Rooney

Southampton: Boruc; Clyne, Yoshida, Hooiveld, Shaw; Schneiderlin, Cork; Puncheon, Ramirez, Guly; Lambert

Sports Mole says: 3-0


ID:66410: cacheID:66410:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4115:

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Manchester United striker Robin van Persie celebrates with teammates during his sides match against Liverpool on 13 January, 2013
Read Next:
Man Utd see off Liverpool
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
10Fulham125341717018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Crystal Palace121561017-78
19Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!