Manchester United vs. Southampton Prediction, 7/13/20

Eager to extend their unbeaten run to 18 games in all competitions, 5th-placed Manchester United are hosting 12th-placed Southampton, who have not been defeated in three straight Premier League fixtures. Kick-off - at 15:00 AM ET on Monday, July 13.

United Net Three Past Villa

Manchester United became the first team in Premier League history to win four successive outings by a three-goal margin after following up triumphs over Sheffield United (3-0), Brighton & Hove Albion (3-0) and Bournemouth (5-2) with a 3-0 beat-down of struggling Aston Villa at Villa Park on Thursday. Bruno Fernandes, Mason Greenwood, and Paul Pogba all scored for the Red Devils, who extended their unbeaten run to 17 games in all competitions (W13 D4). The team is 5th in the EPL with a W16 D10 L8 record, sitting four points ahead of 6th-placed Sheffield United, trailing 4th-placed Leicester City and 3rd-placed Chelsea by one and two points respectively.

With 15 Premier League markers each, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial lead Manchester United in scoring this season. Goalie David De Gea, meanwhile, resides 13th in the league with 83 saves. He has posted 11 clean sheets in 34 games during the ongoing campaign and allows a strike every 93 minutes of play. The Red Devils have netted the 5th highest number of EPL goals this year (59) while taking the 4th highest amount of shots per game (14.7). The team is 5th in ball possession (54.6%) and 4th in passing accuracy (83.5%).

Southampton Extend Unbeaten Streak

Southampton extended their unbeaten run to three Premier League outings (W2 D1) after following up victories against Watford (3-1) and Manchester City (1-0) with a 1-1 draw versus Everton at Goodison Park on Thursday. James Ward-Prowse hit the crossbar from the penalty spot and Stuart Armstrong had a goal disallowed for offside before Danny Ings got the scoring rolling with a strike in the 31st minute, with the hosts eventually tying the proceedings just before the break. The Saints have now earned the 4th highest amount of road points (27) behind Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, and sit 12th in the league (W13 D5 L16), eight points below the top-seven.

English striker Ings leads Southampton with 19 EPL strikes and is 3rd in scoring in the whole league only behind Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy (22 goals) and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (20). Goalie Alex McCarthy, meanwhile, sits 14th in England’s top tier with 71 saves. He has picked up six clean sheets in 24 contests this season and gives up a goal every 70 minutes on average. The Saints have scored the 10th highest quantity of league markers this year (43) while delivering the 6th highest amount of shots per game (12.9). The team is 12th in ball possession (48.1%) and 2nd from the bottom in passing accuracy (72.2%).

Prediction

Manchester United have been scoring goals for fun lately, amassing 14 snipes in their last four outings alone, becoming the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive matches by a margin of at least three strikes. Extending that achievement to five straight games, though, will prove quite difficult against in-form Southampton, who have only conceded four goals in five fixtures since the restart of English soccer. The Saints are unbeaten in three straight road contests (W2 D1) and have collected points in three of their past four meetings with the Red Devils (D3 L1). And while Manchester United are still the better team at the moment, don’t expect the hosts to batter Southampton heavily.

Best bets:

Manchester United to win and Under 3.5 goals (-105)

Correct score: 2-0 to Manchester United (+545)