The Red Devils travel to St Mary's on a three-game winning streak in all competitions, but they face a tough test against a Southampton side unbeaten in seven.

Fifth-placed Southampton enter this match sitting four points above United, albeit having played a game more than their opponents.

Match preview

Bruno Fernandes celebrates scoring for Manchester United against Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League on November 24, 2020 © Reuters

Not for the first time during his up-and-down tenure, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hit a good run of form just when it looked like his time at the club may well be up.

Solskjaer reportedly had one game to save his job on the back of defeats to Arsenal and Istanbul Basaksehir earlier this month. United have since won three from three.

Tuesday's emphatic 4-1 victory over Basaksehir ensures that, while not officially there yet, the Red Devils are in a very strong position to reach the Champions League last 16.

In the league, meanwhile, they have defeated Everton and West Bromwich Albion in their last two outings to climb into the top half on goal difference.

United were somewhat fortunate to see off a struggling West Brom side last weekend, though, requiring a retaken Bruno Fernandes penalty to get them over the line.

Solskjaer's men tend to perform better on their travels and they are seeking an eighth consecutive away top-flight win for the first time in their history.

Theo Walcott celebrates his first goal for Southampton since 2006 against Wolverhampton Wanderers in November 2020 © Reuters

In fact, record 20-time English champions United have only twice won four straight away games at the start of a league season - in 1913-14 and 1985-86.

Southampton are the side tasked with halting that run, and they too will be confident of coming away from this fixture with maximum points.

The Saints have won their last three home league matches by the same 2-0 scoreline and could win four in a row at St Mary's for the first time since May 2016.

Ralph Hasenhuttl has rightly earned plenty of praise for his work on the South Coast, with Southampton recently topping the table for the first time in 32 years.

Last week's 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers saw them slip down to fifth, but this match presents another opportunity to show just how far they have come under the Austrian.

Southampton Premier League form: WDWWWD

Manchester United Premier League form: LWDLWW
Manchester United form (all competitions): WLLWWW

Team News

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial pictured in November 2020 © Reuters

Man United defenders Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Victor Lindelof picked up knocks in midweek and will be assessed, while Eric Bailly and Phil Jones are also nursing injuries.

Solskjaer has a big call to make up top given Anthony Martial's lack of form through the middle, which could see Edinson Cavani leading the line after his start against Basaksehir.

Paul Pogba is still struggling for fitness, leaving Scott McTominay, Nemanja Matic, Fred and Donny van de Beek to battle it out for the two holding-midfield berths.

As for Southampton, Nathan Redmond has been ruled out because of a troublesome injury that has restricted him to three league starts all season.

Ryan Bertrand and James Ward-Prowse recovered from injuries to start against Wolves on Monday and should be involved from the start here.

There is still no Danny Ings for the Saints, but Theo Walcott is back among the goals and is looking to score his fourth career goal against United, each at a different ground.

Southampton possible starting lineup:
McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Vestergaard, Bertrand; Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Djenepo; Adams, Walcott

Manchester United possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe, Maguire, Telles; McTominay, Matic; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani

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We say: Southampton 1-1 Manchester United

Southampton have won three league matches in a row and are unbeaten in seven overall in a run spanning more than two months.

United are on the verge of setting a new club record of away wins, meanwhile, having won seven in a row on their travels in the top flight.

Factoring in the Red Devils' midweek exertions, with Southampton given nearly a full week off, we are tipping this one to finish level.

Top betting tip

Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com are predicting a double chance bet on a draw or an away win in this match. Click here to find out what else they are predicting for this game and for more of their tried-and-tested football tips.

Video prediction

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Data Analysis

Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Manchester United win with a probability of 48.29%. A win for Southampton had a probability of 27.18% and a draw had a probability of 24.5%.

The most likely scoreline for a Manchester United win was 0-1 with a probability of 9.98%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 1-2 (9.47%) and 0-2 (8.14%). The likeliest Southampton win was 1-0 (7.11%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (11.6%). The actual scoreline of 2-3 was predicted with a 3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Manchester United would win this match.