Manchester United vs Southampton: TV channel, live stream, how to watch, injury news and predicted line-ups

Manchester United kick off another round of Premier League fixtures this weekend when they welcome Southampton to Old Trafford.

Saturday’s game, which takes place at 12.30pm, will offer United a chance to strengthen their top-four aspirations after they dropped points against Burnley in midweek.

Coupled with West Ham United and Arsenal picking up wins, it leaves the Red Devils sixth in the table, while seventh-place Tottenham Hotspur have two games in hand on Ralf Rangnick’s side.

The German feels his team are improving in the league, and they are unbeaten in the last three games. However, there’s a concern at how mixed United’s performances can be throughout matches, and they’re developing a nasty habit of performing in the first period but failing to carry that on after half-time.

The Red Devils are unbeaten in their last 12 in all competitions against Southampton and famously won this fixture 9-0 last season, which equalled the record for the biggest win in Premier League history.

Despite that, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have come a long way since then, and are establishing themselves as a difficult top-flight opponent. Last time out, they beat Spurs away from home, while prior to that Southampton ended Manchester City’s 12-game winning streak when they drew 1-1.

The south coast outfit are one of the hardest-working sides in the Premier League and could pose United problems at Old Trafford. Southampton head into the game 10th in the table and could move up one place with a win.

What’s the latest team news?

The positive news for United was the return of Alex Telles to training in mid-week following a recent case of Covid-19.

“Alex resumed training yesterday,” Rangnick told the club’s website on Friday. “He might be available, I’ll have to speak to him after training today about how he feels because he was out for one and a half, almost two weeks but he took part in training yesterday.

“The three players who will not be available tomorrow are still Eric Bailly, Fred, obviously because he was still testing positive, and Nemanja Matic. He has some problems with his shin.

“He has been having these problems for the last couple of days, almost a week. He was still available, but he couldn’t train for the last two training sessions and he also won’t be training today. Those are the three players that are not available for the game tomorrow.”

Rangnick also has to decide whether to reinstate Cristiano Ronaldo to the team after he was dropped for the trip to Turf Moor on Tuesday. The 37-year-old came off the bench, but Edinson Cavani’s mixed performance that night may see Ronaldo return to the starting line-up.

Paul Pogba played his first league minutes since October against Burnley, but whether he’s fit to play three times in eight days after recovering from a long-term injury is unknown.

Another dilemma for the United manager is whether to stick with Harry Maguire in the starting line-up after he put in another poor display during the week. Victor Lindelof is an option should Rangnick decide to make a change at centre-back.

As for the visitors, Lyanco could miss the rest of the season through injury, while Alex McCarthy and Nathan Tella are also missing.

Nathan Redmond is a doubt for the trip to Old Trafford, but there’s better news regarding Tino Livramento, who could return for the first time since Boxing Day after recovering from injury.

Predicted line-ups:

Manchester United (4-3-3): De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Maguire, Shaw; McTominay, Pogba, Fernandes; Elanga, Ronaldo, Sancho.

Southampton (4-4-2): Forster; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; Armstrong, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Diallo; Broja, Adams.

Is the match on TV?

The game will be shown live in the UK on BT Sport and the pre-match build-up starts at 11.30am. It can also be streamed via the BT Sport app.

How can I watch highlights?

There are several ways to watch the highlights. The BT Sport YouTube channel will show all the main bits from the game, while both clubs’ websites will have highlights around two hours after the match concludes. Alternatively, Match of the Day is on BBC One at 10.30pm on Saturday.

And follow ManchesterWorld for all the latest live from Old Trafford plus player ratings after the final whistle.