FA Cup: Southampton V Manchester United – Saturday, 29th January (LIVE on ITV1)

 

Southampton V Manchester United

Saturday, 29th January – 17:15 (GMT)
Venue: St Mary’s
TV Coverage: ITV1

 

Southampton

I don’t know about you but for me, Southampton entertaining Manchester United in a Premiership fixture almost seems like yesterday. The Saints spent thirteen seasons in the Premier League, before relegation to the Championship at the end of the 2004/2005 campaign with Harry Redknapp at the helm. During that time, Southampton accomplished just five wins against the Red Devils, though all five were at home and that same venue will be rocking on Saturday as St Mary’s prepares to welcome a former foe to its parts.

Southampton have endured its fair share of hiccups since relinquishing their Premiership status seven years ago. Relegation from the Championship coupled with growing debts saw the club on the verge of ruin just a couple of years ago, though the recovery has been swift even if the results on the pitch haven’t exactly reflected this. Financially, the club is a lot more stable than it was two years ago, while the team collected more than enough points last season to clinch a play-off berth but had a 15-point deduction at the start of the season for entering into administration the following season to thank for their failure to clinch promotion at the first time of asking, following relegation at the end of the 2008/2009 Championship.

In terms of the team itself, the sacking of Alan Pardew earlier in the season came as a big surprise, despite the Saints enduring a miserable start to the season. However the results have steadily improved under new boss Nigel Adkins, whom steadied the Scunthorpe ship in the Championship before switching allegiance after eyeing up Southampton’s potential in the league below. Now the club are back on course for promotion after losing just two of their last ten matches in League One, although, while confidence in camp should be high following their turnaround in form, the Saints have gone their last two games without winning, the latter a 2-0 reverse away at relegation threatened Tranmere.

Despite their recent dip in form, Southampton remain one of the strongest teams in League One. Nigel Adkins has a useful mix of youth and experience within his ranks which have complimented one another to devastating affect. Up until recently, the goals have been free-flowing, their defensive concessions minimal, while their levels of confidence were sky-high. However, what we find more intriguing with this Southampton side is the exciting amount of creativity in Adkins’ ranks. Adam Lallana, Richard Chaplow and Guilherme Do Prado are always involved in the thick of things in midfield, while up front Lee Barnard and Ricky Lambert are two proven goal-getters.

We may also be treated to a glimpse of the much sought-after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The 17-year old attacking-midfielder has been linked with a host of big names which include Arsenal, Liverpool and Saturday’s opponents United and it will be interesting to see how he manages the limelight should Nigel Adkins unleash the club’s prized asset. He’s an exciting player mind you, a youngster with electric pace, good close ball-skills and a keen eye for the goal.

 

Manchester United

After their stunning comeback at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday, Manchester United will feel they can accomplish anything this season – Even go the entire Premiership season without tasting defeat. So a trip down memory lane to tackle Southampton at St Mary’s in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup should be a brisk walk in the park for the 11-time champions.

Despite lifting the coveted FA Cup trophy aloft more times than anyone else in the history of the competition, you need to cast your minds back to the 2003/04 campaign for their last triumph in this competition. Back when Cristiano Ronaldo was still a wee-nipper, United romped to their eleventh FA Cup courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Millwall in Cardiff. They have come close since, losing out in two finals to Arsenal and Chelsea, but it’s a dour spell of seven years without an FA Cup coup and that is a slump Sir Alex Ferguson will be eager to arrest.

Unfortunately, when you’re challenging on all fronts, managers need to start prioritising simply because the same eleven players cannot contest every single major fixture. And I’m afraid the FA Cup will once again lose out. An upcoming Last-Sixteen tie with French Champions Marseille awaits United in two weeks time, not to mention another pulsating title race, means Fergie’s hand will be forced somewhat. But even as soon as this tie was drawn out of the hat, I would have put my house on Ferguson immediately having his starting XI in mind, a team-sheet which is unlikely to contain the likes of Edwin Van Der Saar, Rio Ferdinand, Darren Fletcher, Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov but more along the lines of Gary Neville, Wes Brown, Anderson, Paul Scholes, Gabriel Obertan and Javier Hernandez.

Unspectacular, certainly, but football is like a business nowadays, dare we say ruthless, and it’s down to the manager to deliver results, and unfortunately results matter more in other competitions. Nevertheless, Sir Alex isn’t willing to simply forfeit the competition. He will expect nothing less than a committed performance from whatever team he names on Saturday, and I’m sure he would settle for the 3-0 scoreline his team won by in their last visit to St Mary’s, during the 2008/2009 FA Cup in the Third Round.

Regardless of the team he names, United should at least be competitive against their League One hosts. After all, this is a group of players which together has strived to put together a formidable season which has seen the Red Devils succumb to defeat on just one occasion – Losing to West Ham 4-0 in the Carling Cup. Gary Neville, Wes Brown and Paul Scholes are a number who could start who would bring considerable experience to the fore, while Sir Alex expects big things from the likes of Darren Gibson, Gabriel Obertan, Bebe and Javier Hernandez, the latter having recently found the net for the tenth time this season and will no doubt cause the Southampton defence problems with his energy and workmanlike attitude up front.

Team News: Sir Alex Ferguson is set to make wholesale changes following Tuesday’s hard-fought victory at Blackpool, where his team had to dig deep in order to clinch all three points after over 100 minutes on the pitch. Neither Rio Ferdinand or Michael Carrick were fit to play that night and thus are unlikely to feature at the weekend either, while full-back Rafael was stretched off with concussion and has already been ruled out. Ji-Sung Park is still away with the South Korea national team despite exiting the Asia Cup several days ago. Owen Hargreaves is, as he always is, injured, this time with a hamstring injury.
 

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2010/2011 FA Cup Results

Southampton

First Round: Southampton 2-0 Shrewsbury
Second Round: Southampton  3-0 Cheltenham Town
Third Round: Southampton 2-0 Blackpool

Manchester United

Third Round: Manchester United 1-0 Liverpool

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Pointers

Southampton

- Southampton have tasted defeat just once in their last fourteen matches on home soil, in all competitions.

- Suffered their first defeat in six matches at the weekend, when going down 2-0 away from home at Tranmere.

- Since the start of the season, Southampton have contested 20 games at their St Mary’s stadium, keeping a clean sheet in twelve.

- The Saint have gone a little over three-and-a-half-hours without conceding in the FA Cup, since their 4-1 reverse at home to Portsmouth in the Fifth-Round of last season’s competition.

 

Manchester United

- Manchester United have won seven of their previous nine matches in all competitions: Six in league and one in FA Cup.

- A 4-0 defeat at the hands of West Ham United (30th November, 2010) in the Carling Cup remains United’s only defeat in their last 34 games in all competitions.

- The Red Devils were knocked out in the Third-Round of last term’s FA Cup by League One opposition last season in the form of Leeds United, the Whites winning 1-0 at Old Trafford.

- Paul Scholes has scored five goals in his last three appearances against Southampton.

 

Head-to-Head

- These two clashed in the same round two seasons ago (2008/2009), Manchester United cruising to a 3-0 triumph on that occasion.

- Southampton have won just one of the previous ten meetings, compared to United’s nine.

- This will be the 15th FA Cup meeting between Southampton and Manchester United, the latter well ahead in the head-to-head with eight wins to Southampton’s solitary one.

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Match Prediction: Draw – 4.60 SportingBet

Sir Alex Ferguson is set to ring the changes ahead of Saturday’s trip down memory lane to face League One promotion hopefuls Southampton at St Mary’s, and who would blame him? If those currently on the periphery of the first team can’t beat opposition of League One calibre then they shouldn’t be at such an historic club, simple as. The Red Devils renew their Champions League bid in a little over two weeks time and with crucial league games with their title rivals also on the horizon, Sir Alex will actually appreciate the fact he didn’t get such a testing tie like the last one, where his team overcame arch rivals Liverpool in the Third Round thanks to a dubious Ryan Giggs penalty.

A weakened United team is vulnerable, though, up against a dangerous Southampton side who have an abundance of creativity and ingenuity in the middle of the park, but also the potential to score plenty of goals in the final third. Plus, the Saints have only lost one of their last eleven at home in the league, twelve if you include their triumph in the last round over Blackpool, scoring exactly four goals in four of their last six home games (League & FA Cup).

There will be plenty of experience in the United starting XI, but the Saints will be up for this and once they see the official United team sheet, will sniff out a shock. I don’t have a sufficient amount of confidence to back them winning this tie outright, however I reckon they pack enough of a punch in the attacking third of the pitch to merit a draw.

Value Bet: Both Teams to Score – 1.91 totesport

Match Odds:

Southampton – 8.00 VictorChandler
Draw – 4.60 SportingBet
Manchester United – 1.44 WilliamHill