Ralph Hasenhuttl has revenge on mind as his Southampton side return to the scene of their humiliation by Manchester United last season.
It’s just over a year to the day since the Saints suffered their joint-heaviest defeat at Old Trafford, losing 9-0 as United ran riot against their nine-man opposition.
It was the second such humiliation Southampton had suffered in less than 18 months, having also been beaten 9-0 by Leicester back in October 2019, making the defeat even more painful.
As they head back to Old Trafford this weekend though, they’ll be buoyed by their most recent results, having held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw before the international break, before coming from behind to beat Tottenham 3-2 on Wednesday night.
And with United next in their sights, Hasenhuttl isn’t disguising the fact that he’ll be using last year’s humbling as motivation.
Reacting to the win over Spurs, Hasenhuttl said (via Hampshire Live ): “I am very empty! I have no idea how they are. I don't even know if I will be able to watch the game again driving home on the bus!
“We are only tired right now. We have had some great results in tough games against Manchester City and Tottenham, and we haven't lost. This is fantastic.
“We know that we need at least to perform the same on Saturday. They have 24 hours longer to recover than we have. This will be super tough.
“We lost to them 9-0 last season, I haven't forgotten this.”
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Despite suffering rough patches in his time in charge on the south coast, Hasenhuttl has managed to survive moments like the thrashing at Old Trafford.
And recent results have helped propel them into the top half of the Premier League table, and they’ll be looking to cause another upset on the road this weekend.
Asked whether his side were showing they can compete with the league’s biggest sides, Hasenhuttl responded: “It seems that way. It's good to see and it's absolutely enjoyable.”
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