Man U vs. Southampton
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 8pm
Venue: Old Trafford
Kick off: 8pm
Manchester United will attempt to make it back-to-back Premier League wins at the start of the 2016-17 campaign when they welcome Southampton to Old Trafford tonight.
The match will mark Jose Mourinho’s first home league game in charge of the Red Devils, and France international Paul Pogba is widely expected to make his second debut for the club after his return to Manchester this month.
It would be fair to say that there was not too much excitement at Old Trafford last season.
The results were actually pretty good for the most part, but the football on display from Louis van Gaal’s side was difficult to watch.
A new era is now upon Man United, however, and Mourinho will be officially welcomed to the home of the 20-time English champions on Friday night when his new team open Week Two in England’s top flight.
It has been a strong start for Mourinho, whose team claimed the Community Shield earlier this month with a 2-1 win over the Premier League champions Leicester City, before opening their Premier League challenge with an impressive 3-1 victory at Bournemouth last Sunday.
Mourinho targeted four new players in this summer’s transfer window and has been able to secure all of his top targets. Ibrahimovic, who has two in two games for the Red Devils, arrived on a free transfer, while Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also joined the squad for the 2016-17 campaign.
It was the signing of Pogba that captured the attention, however, with the France international re-joining Man United for a world-record fee, just four years after leaving on a free transfer for Juventus.
As for Southampton, the Saints opened their Premier League season with a 1-1 draw against Watford on Saturday afternoon. It was Nathan Redmond, on his debut, that secured a point for the south coast club – now under the management of former Nice boss Claude Puel, who has replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm.
Koeman led Southampton to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League table last season, but the Dutchman has since left for Everton and more key players have been sold in this summer’s transfer window – Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama among those that have sought pastures new.
Puel has managed to bring in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Bayern Munich, however, in addition to Redmond, Jeremy Pied and Alex McCarthy. It could well be a difficult season for the Saints, especially as they are reportedly fighting to hold on to captain Jose Fonte, who has been linked with a move to Man United over the last week or so.
In terms of what is ahead, Southampton will host Sunderland in their third Premier League match next weekend, before travelling to Arsenal straight after the international break.
It has been a strong start for Mourinho, whose team claimed the Community Shield earlier this month with a 2-1 win over the Premier League champions Leicester City, before opening their Premier League challenge with an impressive 3-1 victory at Bournemouth last Sunday.
Mourinho targeted four new players in this summer’s transfer window and has been able to secure all of his top targets. Ibrahimovic, who has two in two games for the Red Devils, arrived on a free transfer, while Eric Bailly and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also joined the squad for the 2016-17 campaign.
It was the signing of Pogba that captured the attention, however, with the France international re-joining Man United for a world-record fee, just four years after leaving on a free transfer for Juventus.
As for Southampton, the Saints opened their Premier League season with a 1-1 draw against Watford on Saturday afternoon. It was Nathan Redmond, on his debut, that secured a point for the south coast club – now under the management of former Nice boss Claude Puel, who has replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm.
Koeman led Southampton to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League table last season, but the Dutchman has since left for Everton and more key players have been sold in this summer’s transfer window – Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama among those that have sought pastures new.
Puel has managed to bring in Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Bayern Munich, however, in addition to Redmond, Jeremy Pied and Alex McCarthy. It could well be a difficult season for the Saints, especially as they are reportedly fighting to hold on to captain Jose Fonte, who has been linked with a move to Man United over the last week or so.
In terms of what is ahead, Southampton will host Sunderland in their third Premier League match next weekend, before travelling to Arsenal straight after the international break.
They then host Swansea City and travel to West Ham United in their final two games of September.
Follow The Eagle Online Channel on WhatsApp
