Manchester United faces Southampton as EPL returns

The first English Premier League action after the international break will see Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United side travel to Saint Mary’s to face Southampton, whose return to topflight football in England is short of satisfying with zero points from a possible nine.

It’s the first time in a dozen years that the Saints have suffered such a fate, and they hope to start the season in a rather promising fashion with the visit of the Red Devils during lunchtime on Saturday.

This is surely another tough test for Russel Martin’s side. Not only have they failed to win any of their last eight fixtures at home in the English topflight – conceding 19 goals, they’ve also ended on the losing side on seven occasions in the last 15 meetings with United, while drawing the other eight – a record that might be elongated when the two side lock horns on Saturday.

Arne Slot has enjoyed a one hundred percent record in his three opening matches as the helmsman of The Kop, winning without conceding at all.

He’s the first Liverpool manager to do so in a topflight setting, and certainly the most popular after seeing off Manchester United at Old Trafford in his last Premier League installment before the international break.

The Dutchman can only hope that the break hasn’t halted his team’s momentum when he leads Liverpool against Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday – as The Reds have only lost just once in the last 24 league matches when coming back from an international break.

Having won all three opening matches in the league for the second season, Pep Guadiola’s Manchester City will host Brentford at the Etihad Stadium at the same time on Saturday.

Given that they’re on a streak of 31 home league matches without a loss, they expect to inflict a defeat on Thomas Frank’s Bees, who are the last side to defeat City back in November 2022.