Manchester United vs. Southampton: Teams, Live Stream, TV Info, Ticket News

Louis van Gaal and Ronald Koeman resume old acquaintances for Manchester United vs. Southampton at Old Trafford.

Van Gaal has two wins at St Mary's Stadium under his belt since this leg of Van Gaal vs. Koeman began, but Koeman's Southampton bloodied United's nose at Old Trafford last season. They will be hoping for a repeat of that 1-0 result here. 

Both teams come into this game with some wind behind them—after a three-game losing streak, Southampton have won two on the bounce, and United are undefeated in five, coming off the back of an important win at archrivals Liverpool.

That win will be for naught if they lose this one. It is easy to imagine Koeman relishing the pressure a win for his side would heap on his old enemy. 

Date: Saturday, January 22, 2015

Time: 3 p.m. GMT/10 a.m. ET

Venue: Old Trafford, Manchester, England

TV Info: NBCSN and NBC Universo (U.S. only)

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. only)

Form Lines

Manchester United: LDWWDW

Southampton: WLLLWW

Team News

Van Gaal told MUTV (h/t the club's website) that "Ashley Young has a severe groin injury, it shall be operated on, so he’s [out] for a long time." He also said Adnan Januzaj is available for selection, saying: "He made his work in the training sessions and he has played one match, which is not much of course. He needs to play more matches, but he is available."

Additionally, Van Gaal revealed that neither Phil Jones nor Bastian Schweinsteiger would feature. 

The Guardian additionally listed long-term absentees Luke Shaw, Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo and Michael Carrick as unavailable. 

According to Southampton's website, "Ronald Koeman has confirmed new signing Charlie Austin will be involved in the squad this weekend, but there are doubts over the fitness of Graziano Pelle and Matthew Targett. Jay Rodriguez and Florin Gardos are both unavailable again." 

The Guardian also listed Maarten Stekelenburg as doubtful for the game. 

 Predicted Lineups

With the injuries United have, the above lineup is a reasonable guess. The key questions concern the midfield and forwards. Will Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera retain their places after lacklustre performances against Liverpool? Will Juan Mata reclaim a place in the side even though his style is clearly not a natural fit for the right wing?

If not, expect Jesse Lingard or Memphis Depay to start, with Anthony Martial moved to the right in the event of a start for the Dutchman.

Koeman's Southampton could reasonably be described as playing either with three at the back or in a 4-2-3-1, such is the flexibility of Matt Targett and Ryan Bertrand on the left-hand side. Bertrand often drops into the centre, allowing Targett to maraud forward as a left-winger/left wing-back hybrid. If Targett is unavailable, expect an additional central midfielder to feature, with Betrand playing as an outright left-back.

There are selection issues at the the heart of midfield, where James Ward-Prowse, Victor Wanyama, Oriol Romeu and Jordy Clasie compete for places. Any combination of the above is possible, although Wanyama has played the most minutes of the four by a distance, so expect him to feature. 

There is also competition for places up front, with Shane Long hoping to hold onto his place ahead of Pelle and new signing Austin.

Players to Watch

Wayne Rooney is the man in form for Manchester United. The club captain is finally performing as an effective centre-forward, with five goals and an assist in the past four games. Two of those were penalties, but each of the three from open play was special in its own way.

Rooney may not have the burst of pace he once possessed—as evidenced by his inability to outpace Kolo Toure against Liverpool—but he can clearly still provide a burst of goals. 

If United are able to impose their possession game on Southampton, then it will be the Saints defenders under the cosh. Look out for the impressive Virgil van Dijk, who has been a towering presence for Koeman of late. 

Key Battle

Whichever combination of Wanyama, Ward-Prowse, Romeu and Clasie occupies central midfield will have an important job to do in denying time on the ball to United's midfielders. This will be particularly crucial should Fellaini start.

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

The Belgium international has looked vulnerable to quick pressing of late, and United's lack of control over midfield in games in which he has started has been a defining factor of the recent part of the season. If Southampton can impose themselves on Fellaini, it could be another difficult home game against Koeman for Van Gaal.

Ticket News

For ticket information on all Premier League games, visit the official site or go to the ticket page on the home club's official website.

Odds

Manchester United: 23-25

Draw: 5-2

Southampton: 383-100

Odds for the game correct at the time of writing, per Odds Shark.

All statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com.