Its the big game of the weekend as Saints travel to Old Trafford with third place the prize for the winners
In terms of league positions this is the biggest game in the Premier League this weekend as 3rd placed United tie on 4th placed Southampton, a win for Saints would see them leapfrog over the Red Devil's and effectively end any hopes that they had of catching their cross city rivals Manchester City or indeed leaders Chelsea.
A win however would leave them hanging on to very slim hopes of being able to catch the top two and for that reason this is probably the biggest game United have played so far this season in that it is really the crossroads of their season with anything less than three points bursting their bubble and leaving them resigned to fighting it out for 3rd place.
United's surge up the table h's been built on their home form, they have won 8 out o the 10 games played with the only defeat being the opening day loss to Swansea and the only other points dropped being the draw with Chelsea back in October.
So question marks still remain over United's credentials and their away record is not good with only two wins, it is clearly their home form that has enabled them to surge up the league and in that the is the aspect of being flats track bullies, it is the likes of QPR, Hull, Palace, Stoke etc who have been despatched and they still have to face Man City, Arsenal and indeed ourselves at the home of Satan himself.
For Saints its also a big game we not only need to gain revenge for our loss to United at St Mary's but to try and get something not only to keep the chasing teams at bay, but to show the rest of the division that we are able to walk the walk when it comes to our league position and playing the top sides.
Ronald Koeman is starting to get options again but in truth he could perhaps have done with this fixture being swapped with next weeks it lookalike Nathaniel Clyne is available again as is Jack Cork but I think the manager would have preferred for both of them to have an extra week under their belt than play in this one, Clyne will play if fit, Cork of course has been out a little too long to be thrown into this one but might get a place on the bench.
So Koeman has the dilemma of whether he ones with three central defenders at the back and uses Clyne and Bertrand as wing backs or whether he reverts to a back four, the good news is that unlike last season when it was always the same tactical formation and usually the same core 12 players that isn't the case with Koeman who has the tactical nous to not only change formation but change players.
But after he has chosen his preferred formation he has to decide who best to play in it, as mentioned he has options now and those include new loan signing Eljero Elias, again given another week he might have started the Dutch winger, but the problem is again one f fitness with Elias not having played in well over six weeks and in that scenario Old Trafford is not the place to not only make your debut but to get our match sharpness back.
So right until the team is announced it is anyone' guess who will be selected and what formation will be employed.
But if we Saints supporters haven't got a clue who will lay then what hope dos Louis Van Gaal have and the element of surprise should not be discounted.
The key to getting a result for Saints will e keeping it tight and not conceding, the longer we go on the better our chances of getting something, at home as I said United have mainly had it their own way, but away from home it has been different, we have to not let them boss the game and get on top, we have to effectively get them into away game mode where they are not bossing it and that will be a situation they will not be used to.
Their weakness is in defence, it does not take a genius to work that one out, however they have plenty of firepower and that s why it is important to blunt their attack first and then we can start to work on their defence.
If we keep the game scoreless then I feel in the final quarter we can win it, this is where perhaps Eljero Elias can make himself the hero, come on and use his pace to good effect, not to mention perhaps Shane Long.
So Saints biggest game of the season so far, but they all are in our position, the biggest game is always the next one, the past is written the future can be changed.
One thing that is fact though is that Saints go to Old Trafford with their best chance of winning since we actually did win there back in 1987, since that time noted have manly been dominant and we have gone there almost being beaten before we arrived, now however we have a team that can match them and is learning with every game, perhaps it will not have learnt enough to get anything out of this one, but it will not be afraid to try and whatever the result we grow stronger with every week.