Friday night football becomes a regular part of the Premier League for the first time this week, when Manchester United play host to Southampton at Old Trafford.
Considered to be one of the Red Devils' bogey sides, it promises to be a fascinating clash between two clubs with new managers at the helm.
Here, Adrian Clarke assesses some of the tactical factors that could decide the match at the Theatre of Dreams.
Can Romeu be a superstar shackler?
On Southampton’s last two visits to Old Trafford, Morgan Schneiderlin (2014/15) and Victor Wanyama (2015/16) produced masterful defensive-midfield performances to help stifle United. In this encounter, the onus will be on 24-year-old Oriol Romeu to screen his back four as brilliantly as they did.
Sat at the base of Claude Puel’s midfield diamond, the Spaniard impressed on the opening day.
Making 13 ball recoveries, four interceptions, winning three tackles, covering more than 11km, and producing the second-highest number of "accurate passes into the forward zone" of anyone in the Premier League (43), Romeu was a highly influential presence.
To keep Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic quiet on Matchweek 2 the former Chelsea player will need to perform even better.
It won’t be easy because, from a tactical perspective, Jose Mourinho’s men created space intelligently in their 3-1 win at AFC Bournemouth.
By keeping possession patiently at the back, and asking their central midfielders, Ander Herrera and Marouane Fellaini, to show for the ball in deep areas, United successfully drew the Cherries midfield towards them, leaving plenty of room to pick out their two star strikers - and wide men drifting inside - in the precious channel between the lines.
With Rooney and Ibrahimovic happiest coming short, and Juan Mata and Anthony Martial keen to join in centrally (see image below), this well thought-out ploy made it easy for United to get their attacking quartet on to the ball in good areas.
Romeu won’t be able to shield the service into all of United’s forwards at once, but how he applies pressure to them in that sitting role may determine the Saints’ success. The more he can steal possession or disrupt their rhythm, the quicker frustration will build.
To help him, Southampton must adapt to United’s tactics better than AFC Bournemouth did.
If his team-mates press with greater conviction it will affect the quality of the balls fed into United’s front men. Southampton’s back four must also squeeze up to congest the space.
Making the pitch feel small and overcrowded for Rooney, Ibrahimovic and Co will be Southampton’s aim.
Protecting the Blind side
In the first home match of the Mourinho era, Man Utd fans will expect their side to attack with pace and panache, but the players must not be too reckless. Puel’s side are built to hurt them on the counter.
The underrated Dusan Tadic revelled in a floating No 10 role against Watford on Saturday - he had 99 touches, six key passes, and four shots on goal - and is an ideal link man to release the speedy Shane Long and Nathan Redmond on breakaways.
Redmond’s movement was excellent at the weekend and, although subdued for periods of the match, it was Long’s searing pace from a turnover that prompted Ben Watson’s dismissal.
Should United push too many bodies forward at once and leave themselves vulnerable, Long versus Daley Blind is a mismatch that could create huge problems.
The Saints’ new manager will instruct his Irish striker to isolate the Dutchman as often as he can.
| Top speed in MW1 | Slowest speed of Man Utd's MW1 starters |
| Shane Long 35.31km/h | Daley Blind 29.94km/h |
Up against Southampton’s narrow midfield diamond, United full-backs Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw will often be the "spare men". They will see a lot of the ball, but I expect the on-song Valencia to be the more adventurous of the two, just as he was last Sunday.
With Blind inside him, Shaw is understandably reticent to leave regular holes that opponents may target on transitions. He will choose his moments to step forward carefully.
With cover on his side from the powerful and eye-catching newcomer Eric Bailly, right-back Valencia can afford to gamble down his flank more often.
Bailly won possession inside his own defensive third on eight occasions on Sunday, the third-most in the Premier League. Strong in the tackle, he and Blind won all 11 duels on the opening weekend.
Although it is early days, their partnership shows promise.
Bailly has outstanding physical attributes, while Blind’s strengths lie in positional sense and reading of the game. It’s a pairing with balance.
Three in a row?
Southampton’s players won’t be fazed by a trip to Old Trafford. The south-coast side won 1-0 on each of their last two visits, restricting their illustrious opponents to few chances.
Keeping their shape and discipline magnificently well, harassing United at every opportunity and defending with real aggression, they successfully nullified their opponents with two super-efficient performances.
| Man Utd v Southampton | 2015/16 | 2014/15 |
| Man Utd shots on target | 0 | 1 |
| Man Utd shots in box | 1 | 6 |
| Southampton interventions | 40 | 21 |
| Southampton tackles | 18 | 13 |
| Final score | 0-1 | 0-1 |
How will it differ this time around?
Firstly, it’s hard to foresee the hosts being as slow and uninventive in possession as they were in those matches under Louis van Gaal. While credit went to the Saints for turning each contest into a scrappy, stop-start affair, Mourinho’s current side looks like it has more quality and drive.
Playing at a higher tempo, they will also look to close down Southampton with a more muscular approach. This may help them take control, for when Watford did that to Puel’s men in the first half on Saturday they struggled to keep the ball.
To pull off a third straight triumph, the Saints will need to be stronger, and to look after possession more carefully than they did on MW1. United are certain to play with more dynamism.
Final thoughts
As long as the hosts avoid exposing themselves to Southampton’s dangerous front three on the counter-attack, I’d fancy them to grab their second win of the season.
It was hard to find fault with their display at Vitality Stadium. Keeping their shape excellently, Mourinho’s men were thoughtful, controlled and productive in all three departments.
The Saints will adopt a positive approach under their new French manager. This will make them enjoyable to watch, but by focusing harder on what they do with the ball, they may find it difficult to grind out the kind of stubborn away victories they have produced in the past.
Still adjusting to Puel’s philosophy, this stiff away test may have come too early for them.