Man United v Southampton Tip

Any way you look at it, a team sat fourth in the league table should not be an 11/2 shot (Ladbrokes) to beat a side down in ninth. That’s where we find ourselves when Southampton head to Old Trafford this weekend and the value in the upset is self-evident.

Admittedly, the league table is embryonic and Manchester United won’t finish in mid-table ,but they certainly won’t merit best odds of 11/20 (WilliamHill) to beat the Saints at any point this season. The champions lost to West Brom in their last home outing and the most alarming thing for David Moyes was that it wasn’t a freak result based on the balance of play.

For their part, Southampton have already won deservedly at Anfield in 2013-14. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have now also gone five consecutive matches without conceding a single goal. This equates to the second best defensive record in Europe (based on all the major leagues) and that backbone will always give them a real chance. A chance way better than the odds here suggest.