After being eliminated by Middlesbrough (2nd division) in the fourth round of the FA Cup and the 1-1 draw against bottom Burnley in the Premier League, Manchester United (6th) are forced to win to resurface, on Saturday against Southampton (10th) on matchday 25.
The ‘Red Devils’ have been dispossessed of fourth place, qualifying for the next Champions League, to the benefit of West Ham, who visits Leicester on Sunday (12th).
United is also in contention with Arsenal (5th), Tottenham (7th) and Wolverhampton (8th) in the race for the Champions League. Those last two teams face each other on Sunday.
Against Southampton, Cristiano Ronaldo’s team will not have it easy. That formation tends not to give up, as it showed in their recent 3-2 victory over Tottenham, after having been down on the scoreboard twice.
In the absence of Chelsea, who are in the United Arab Emirates to play the Club World Cup final against Palmeiras on Saturday, their derby against Arsenal has been postponed.
The leader Manchester City and Liverpool (2nd) have in principle a day without great risks, since they face teams from the lower zone, Norwich (18th) on Saturday and bottom Burnley (20th) on Sunday, respectively.
