Match Preview – Southampton v Manchester United

Competition: FA Cup, Fourth Round
Kick-Off & Date: 5:15pm, Saturday 29th January
Venue: St. Mary’s Stadium, Southampton (Away)
Live TV Coverage: ITV 1, 4:45pm – 7:20pm

Referee: Martin Atkinson, (West Yorkshire, England)
Assistant Referees: Simon Beck and Mike Mullarkey
Fourth Official: Kevin Friend


Form: Southampton currently lie fourth in the npower League One division, putting a better run together than last season’s 7th placed finish. The Saints were beaten 2-0 by Tranmere Rovers last weekend, bringing their six game unbeaten run to and end. Beforehand, Southampton had 5 wins and 1 draw in the bag. Much of that has been down to one man, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, rumoured to be on the verge of a move to the Premier League. With United, Arsenal and Liverpool all interested. 

United will be looking to start this game on a better footing than last Tuesday’s trip to Blackpool, when the Tangerine Army gave The Red Devils an early scare, scoring two goals in the first half. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side bounced back from a possible defeat, and will hope to start sharper on Saturday. Southampton beat Blackpool 2-0 in The FA Cup earlier in January, with manager Nigel Adkins setting his side up for another scalp. 


The Injury Front: Southampton are expected to welcome back midfield men Dean Hammond and Adam Lallana after injury lay-offs, but doubts remain about the latter of the duo. Forward Dany N’Guessan could make a debut for The Saints after signing on-loan from Leicester City. Other than the aforementioned midfielders, Southampton are full-strength. 

United could see goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard make his much-anticipated debut on Saturday, while Tomasz Kuszczak is also vying for the no.1 shirt. Edwin Van Der Sar is rested, along with defenders Rio Ferdinand (groin), Rafael Da Silva (concussion) and Patrice Evra (family bereavement) all sidelined. Meanwhile, Michael Carrick is not expected to feature due to an ankle injury. Long-term absentees Antonio Valencia and Owen Hargreaves remain out.

Squad: Kuszczak, Lindegaard, O’Shea, Brown, Neville, Vidic, Smalling, Evans, Fabio, Nani, Obertan, Carrick, Fletcher, Scholes, Gibson, Anderson, Giggs, Bébé, Rooney, Berbatov, Chicharito, Owen.

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The Gaffer: Nigel Adkins joined Southampton in September, taking advantage of a magnificent youth system which has produced players such as Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott  in recent times. The former goalkeeper previously managed Scunthorpe United, helping them gain promotion into the Championship in his first season in charge…

Most-Feared: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has appeared on the back page of your newspaper for about a month now. The 17-year-old midfielder has been linked with moves to Old Trafford, The Emirates and Anfield, but currently remains with The Saints. Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored 6 goals in 24 games in the South East since early 2010…

The Ref: Martin Atkinson takes charge of his second United game of the season, last seen sending off Hugo Rodallega and Antolin Alcaraz as The Reds beat Wigan Athletic 2-0 at Old Trafford. Atkinson hands out nearly 4 bookings per game, and a red card once in every 6 games – according to the latest statistics…  

United Latest‘s Prediction: Southampton 0-3 United
– A double from Chicharito and a strike from Gabby Obertan ?