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Manchester United host Southampton on Saturday afternoon looking to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League .
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ’s side have gone 11 games without defeat in the league and also secured a club record eighth successive away win in their last outing, a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.
The hosts, who are in the midst of an injury crisis, will again be missing a significant number of key players against the Saints and will have one eye on the return leg of their Champions League last 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain which takes place on Wednesday.
Southampton precariously sit two points above the relegation zone in 17th after securing a vital three points over fellow strugglers Fulham last time out.
The visitors have a good recent record over the Red Devils, only falling to defeat once in their last five league visits to Old Trafford and they will be looking to extend that form at the weekend in a bid to enhance their chances of survival.
Show all 26 1 /26Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool David de Gea - 6 Had very little to do, with Liverpool mustering just one shot on target.
Action Images via Reuters
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Ashley Young - 7 Not as impressive as Shaw on the other flank but still largely limited Mané’s attacking potential.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Chris Smalling - 8 Picked up from where he left off against Chelsea. Now appears to be Solskjaer’s first-choice partner for Lindelof.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Victor Lindelof - 8 Alongside Smalling, dealt with almost everything Liverpool threw at him. Helped Shaw with Salah when required.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Luke Shaw - 9 One of his best displays in a United shirt. Shut down Salah, to the point where the Liverpool winger had to be substituted.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Ander Herrera - N/A His usual tenacious self until he was substituted early on with a muscle problem.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Paul Pogba - 7 His usual tenacious self until he was substituted early on with a muscle problem.
Action Images via Reuters
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Scott McTominay - 7 A surprise selection at the base of midfield but coped well as Liverpool failed to exploit his relative inexperience.
Man Utd via Getty Images
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Juan Mata - N/A Another who departed early, without much opportunity to make an impression.
Man Utd via Getty Images
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Marcus Rashford - 6 Clearly felt the effects of an early challenge by Henderson but soldiered on, threatening in glimpses on the break.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Romelu Lukaku - 6 Fine pass to play Lingard through first half but otherwise offered little and failed to make his presence felt against Robertson on the left.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Andreas Pereira - 7 Replaced Herrera. Put recent poor displays behind him with a tidy performance at short notice, having not even had time to warm up.
AP
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Jesse Lingard - N/A Replaced Mata and then went off injured himself. Had United’s best chance in his 17 minutes on the field but was smothered by Alisson.
Man Utd via Getty Images
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Alexis Sanchez - 6 Introduced late on in the first half but ineffective.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Alisson - 8 Rushed off his line brilliantly to prevent Lingard from scoring and did well when coming to collect aerial balls.
Man Utd via Getty Images
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool James Milner - 6 Preferred at right-back over Trent Alexander-Arnold with mixed results. Did not offer as much going forward as the youngster.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Virgil van Dijk - 8 Won crucial aerial battles and interceptions. Blocked a goal-bound Pogba effort in the first half.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Joel Matip - 7 Largely repaid Klopp’s trust to start in the centre of defence and even ventured forward on occasion, carrying the ball into dangerous areas.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Andrew Robertson - 6 Struggled to break out from left-back and overlap in the way he usually does, though managed Lukaku well.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Georginio Wijnaldum 7
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Jordan Henderson - 6 Battled well in midfield but did not influence Liverpool’s attacking play enough. Replaced by Xherdan Shaqiri late on.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Fabinho - 7 Switched play and bypassed United’s midfield with several impressive passes in the first half but could not make one count.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Sadio Mane - 5 A fitful performance, only threatening in moments and sloppy in build-up play at times.
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Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Roberto Firmino - N/A The best of Liverpool’s front three until he departed on the half hour mark after rolling his ankle awkwardly.
Action Images via Reuters
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Mohamed Salah - 5 A forgettable afternoon at Old Trafford for the Egyptian, a year on from being shut out of the game by Young.
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Player ratings from Manchester United vs Liverpool Daniel Sturridge - 6 Replaced Firmino. Had little influence on the game but did register Liverpool’s only shot on target.
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What time does it start?
Manchester United vs Southampton kicks off at 3pm on Saturday 2 March.
Where can I watch it?
The match will not be shown live in the UK.
But you can follow all the action on The Independent’s live blog.
Predicted line-ups:
Manchester United: De Gea, Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, Pereira, McTominay, Pogba, Alexis, Lukaku, Rashford
Southampton: Gunn, Bednarek, Yoshida, Vestergaard, Valery, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Bertrand, Armstrong, Redmond
Paul Pogba is set to star against Southampton (PA) Form guide:
Manchester United: WWLWDW
Southampton: WDDLLW
Head-to-head:
Southampton 2 (Armstrong, Cedric) Manchester United 2 (Lukaku, Herrera), Premier League, December 2018
Manchester United 0 Southampton 0, Premier League, December 2017
Southampton 0 Manchester United 1, Premier League, September 2017
Southampton 0 Manchester United 0, Premier League, May 2017
Manchester United 3 (Ibrahimovic 2, Lingard) Southampton 2 (Gabbiadini), EFL Cup Final, February 2017
Odds:
Manchester United to win: 4/9
Southampton to win: 15/2
Draw: 7/2
Prediction:
2-0
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