Carlos Alcaraz got a stroke of luck as he helped Spain make a winning start to the Davis Cup Finals group-stage campaign against Czechia as Tomas Machac retired through injury.

The French Open and Wimbledon champion dropped the first set 6-7 (3-7), but rallied to finish the second 6-1, forcing a decider after getting two vital breaks.

However, Machac pulled up in the opening game of the third set with cramp and was unable to carry on after one hour and 41 minutes on the court.

It followed Roberto Bautista's flying start in their opening singles match in Group B as he cruised past Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (7-1) 6-4, with the Czech making 27 unforced errors as he failed to find an edge.

In the doubles, Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers then had to dig deep, coming from behind to beat Adam Pavlasek and Jakub Mensik in three sets to give Spain a 3-0 victory and take them top of the group. 

Meanwhile, Great Britain also made a bright start to their campaign in Group D, despite US Open semi-finalist Jack Draper sitting out.

Dan Evans got them started in Manchester with a hard-earned 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 victory over Eero Vasa of Finland, converting both of his break points in the second set.

Billy Harris followed that up with an impressive tournament debut, looking unflappable as he earned the hosts an unattainable lead with his 6-4 7-6 (7-4) win over Otto Virtanen.

Finland got themselves on the board in the doubles though, with Evans and Neal Skupski unable to get the better of Harri Heliovaara and Virtanen ensuring it was only a 2-1 loss. 

Elsewhere, the United States joined Germany at the top of Group C with their 3-0 win over Chile and Italy's Matteo Arnaldi held off a spirited Thiago Monteiro to put them in control against Brazil in Group A after Matteo Berrettini's earlier victory.

Travis Head led the way for Australia, setting them on their way to a comfortable 28-run victory over England in their first of three T20Is on Wednesday.

England had salvaged some pride during Australia's late collapse, only to fumble their chance with the bat as they failed to reach their target of 180.

Australia got off to a flying start, with Head hitting 59 off 23 balls, including 30 off Sam Curran in a single over with three fours and three sixes.

Liam Livingstone helped to slow the tide with 3-22, including taking opener Matt Short (41), before the tourists collapsed, losing their last five wickets for 14 runs, with Jofra Archer taking two in two (2-31), to finish 179 all out.

The hosts just could not get going though, as Phil Salt was caught for 20 before Curran (18) and Livingstone (37) both departed in the space of four deliveries to stunt any England progress.

Jordan Cox (17), one of three debutants, had already been dismissed, thanks to Tim David's stunning catch at full stretch, before the lower order slumped to 151 in the final over. 

The second T20I takes place on Friday in Cardiff, where England will attempt to force a decider for the final contest on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Unhappy homecoming

Australia have won back-to-back T20Is against England for the first time since February 2018, but the hosts would have expected much better when they saw the target set for them.

Instead, they failed to win a third consecutive T20 match at The Rose Bowl, their longest outright losing streak at the venue in the history of the format.

Gareth Southgate says he is keeping an open mind about what comes next in his career but is in no hurry to rush back into football.

Southgate stepped down as England manager in July, shortly after England's second consecutive European Championship final defeat.

The 54-year-old was in charge of the Three Lions for eight years, leading the team through four major tournaments, while only Walter Winterbottom (139) and Alf Ramsey (113) managed more games for the national team than Southgate (102).

England are still searching for a new permanent manager, with interim head coach Lee Carsley impressing in his first two matches, leading the team to consecutive 2-0 wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland in the Nations League.

Southgate has been linked with a move to Manchester United as the pressure piles on Erik ten Hag and with a position at UEFA.

However, the former England manager says he is not expecting to step back into football any time soon.

"I've got lots of opportunities, I'm very open-minded to what's next," he told Sky News.

"That might be in football, that might be outside of football. I'm just going to take some time, refresh, recharge and go from there.

"I think at the moment people know that I need to get my energy back."

Southgate led England to their first major tournament final since 1966 at Euro 2020 and helped the team reach their first final on foreign soil in Germany over the summer.

England also became the first team in history to lose consecutive Euros finals, with Southgate the only manager to ever lose two such matches.

However, his 14 wins at major tournaments are the most of any manager in England's history, and he is proud of the work he did during his time in charge.

"I think it was probably the right time for change," he added.

"I don't think you can have regrets. We made decisions with the information we had at the time to try and produce a winning team. I gave the job everything I had.

"We raised expectations and that was important. We needed to put English football back on the map."

Andoni Iraola says he does not mind Bournemouth being involved in late drama, as long as it benefits them ahead of their Premier League meeting with Chelsea.

The Cherries mounted a superb comeback before the international break, going from 2-0 down in the 86th minute to beat Everton 3-2.

It means Bournemouth are unbeaten in the league so far this season, having drawn their first two games, leaving them eighth in the early standings.

And despite all three of their matches so far containing late goals, Iraola brushed off the idea that it was a new trend for his team.

"I think past season it was kind of similar," Iraola told the Daily Echo.

"We lost a lot of points in games that we were winning. We had very good comebacks, and we recovered a lot of points in games that we were losing.

"That's the reason why for us, the subs are so important, because at the end, probably you will find more chances playing the last 25 minutes than the previous minutes because in the first half, everyone is fresh, it's more difficult to make one against ones and make the difference."

Meanwhile, Chelsea are currently 11th but are looking to build on their excellent start to the season away from home, having beaten Wolves 6-2 in their first such game.

With a number of new signings already settling in, Enzo Maresca is set to introduce Jadon Sancho at the weekend, and he believes the winger can play a key part in this campaign.

"I'm very happy to have Sancho at Chelsea. He's here because we value a player who excels in 1v1 situations," Maresca said.

"He's crucial in breaking down tight defences; we need him for that."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo

Antoine Semenyo has had more shots than any other Premier League player this season (17).

Meanwhile, Semenyo (17 shots, four chances created) and teammate Marcus Tavernier (12 shots, nine chances created) have been directly involved in 21 attempts so far, with only Kevin De Bruyne (23) being involved in more in the division.

Chelsea – Cole Palmer

As well as having the most assists so far (four), no player has created more big chances than Cole Palmer in the Premier League this season (four).

Palmer is averaging a goal (23) or assist (15) every 76 minutes in the competition for Chelsea, the second-best rate of any player with at least 1,000 minutes for a specific club (behind only Erling Haaland, one every 67 with Man City).

MATCH PREDICTION: CHELSEA WIN

Chelsea have lost just one of their seven Premier League away games against Bournemouth (W4 D2), with three of their four defeats in the competition against the Cherries coming at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have also won each of their last three Premier League away games, including a 6-2 thrashing in their only away trip so far this season, last having a longer run between February and April 2022 (four).

However, Chelsea have conceded at least once in each of their last 17 Premier League away games, shipping 36 goals in total in this run. Only once have they had a longer run without a clean sheet on the road in the competition, going 24 games between January 1993 and February 1994.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth are winless in five Premier League meetings with Chelsea (D2 L3), having won three of their previous four against the Blues prior to this (L1).

The Cherries are also unbeaten in all three of their Premier League games so far this season (W1 D2) – they have never gone four without defeat from the start of a campaign in the competition before.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Bournemouth – 29.9%

Draw – 25.1%

Chelsea – 44.9%

Rory McIlroy hopes there will be a "solution" from this week's scheduled talks between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Tiger Woods is reportedly among a number of PGA Tour representatives in New York for discussions with representatives from PIF, which funds the LIV Golf tour.

Negotiations for a deal that would inject over $1billion from PIF into PGA Tour Enterprises - launched by the tour and Strategic Sports Group as the new for-profit entity - began over a year ago,

McIlroy recently revealed his frustration at the lack of progress, but is hopeful the ongoing issues will soon be resolved. 

"I think everyone in the game would love there to be one [a resolution]," the world number three told BBC Sport NI.

"A solution is hard to get to because there are different interests and people want different things. There's going to have to be compromise on both sides but hopefully they're the things they're talking about in those meetings.

"I'm hopeful and hopefully we'll be hear some good news in the foreseeable future where things start to come back together."

McIlroy was speaking ahead of this week's Irish Open at Royal County Down, where he hopes to deal with the pressure of performing on home soils.

"I've had to learn over the years how to manage my week when I come home," he added. "I'm trying so hard to perform in front of the home fans, but then if I push too hard, it's detrimental to my game.

"It's about managing all those emotions and getting lost in my own little world, and not trying to do anything I wouldn't normally do.

"Just go out there and play the best golf that I can and not get too frustrated when things don't go my way. If I can do that then I think I'll be OK.

"It would be extra special [to win here]. After everything that went on this summer and being so close to winning the US Open and being close at the Olympics as well, it would be a nice way to forget about those things and move on."

Unai Emery is hoping Aston Villa can channel their competitive spirit once more as they aim for a first home win of the season against Everton.

Villa have so far won both of their away matches against West Ham and Leicester City by a 2-1 scoreline, digging deep to get their six points on the board.

However, they struggled at home against Arsenal, losing 2-0 despite having more attempts and creating a higher expected goals tally.

And despite Everton's recent struggles, Emery expects them to have to fight for the three points when they face off at Villa Park.

"Every game is difficult, but we compete," Emery said. "We did against Arsenal as well. We compete really well.

"Competitive is what we want to be, but we always want to improve and try to perform quality and try to be very demanding in our analysis of ourselves, and I'm happy with how they respond on the pitch."

Meanwhile, Everton are yet to get a point on the board after they began their season with three consecutive defeats.

They currently prop up the table, having conceded 10 goals and scored just two.

New signing Tim Iroegbunam, who joined the Toffees from Villa in the transfer window, has played every minute of the campaign so far and is hopeful he can help to get the team back on track.

"Obviously, the couple of results we've had in the league so far have been disappointing but, from a personal point of view, I'm pleased with how it's been going," he said.

"I knew that if I did well in pre-season that I could have a chance to play straight away. The fact that it's happened for me is promising, but there's lots to do."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Aston Villa – Jhon Duran

Despite only starting three Premier League games in his career, Jhon Duran has scored seven goals in the competition, with six of these coming as a substitute.

His average of 96 minutes per goal is the best of any Villa player to score 3+ times for the club in the Premier League.

Everton – Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has made 97 off-the-ball runs in the Premier League this season, the most of any player, with 44 of these being targeted, also a league-high.

The striker has either scored (five) or assisted (two) seven of the Toffees' last 12 league goals.

MATCH PREDICTION: ASTON VILLA WIN

Since their return to the Premier League in 2019, Villa have remained unbeaten in all 10 of their league meetings with Everton (W7 D3), keeping seven clean sheets and conceding just three goals in that run.

Following a run of 15 successive home league wins from March to December 2023, Villa have since won just four of their last 12 Premier League games at Villa Park (D4 L4), losing their only such match this season 0-2 to Arsenal. Only in 2013-14 have the Villans lost both of their first two home matches of a Premier League campaign.

Meanwhile, Everton have lost eight of their last 10 top-flight games that have immediately followed an international break (W1 D1), including all four such matches last season. Villa, meanwhile, have won each of their last five league matches immediately following an international break.

Everton, along with Southampton, are one of two sides to lose all three of their Premier League games so far this season. Only in 1926-27 (five) and 1958-59 (six) have the Toffees ever had a longer losing run from the beginning of a league campaign.

Dyche's men are currently on a torrid run, having lost each of their last four Premier League games; not since October 2005, under David Moyes, have the Toffees lost five in a row in the competition (a run of six).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Aston Villa – 58.6%

Draw – 21.5%

Everton – 19.8%

Pep Guardiola backed Rico Lewis to play a starring role in Manchester City's quest for a fifth Premier League title after an impressive start to the new season. 

Lewis, who has started every game for Guardiola this term, impressed in City's 3-1 win over West Ham ahead of the international break, while he also played the duration of England's win over Finland.

The 19-year-old has filled in for the absent Kyle Walker so far, and Guardiola is confident that his recent form will help the Citizens moving forward as the Champions League group phase kicks in. 

"Absolute, absolutely [he's playing well]. Have you seen the minutes he played in the pocket? I said many times, Rico has one incredible ability that for many years, it was difficult to find," Guardiola said.

"Always he is free, always he is alone. When his mate has the ball, I don’t know what he does, but he's free.

"You can pass the ball to him, and not just in positions where it's comfortable, but in positions where the space is so tight, arriving in the third final.

"We all the players ready, because the schedule that comes from now on until the end of the season will be difficult.

"That's what I said. Pre-season is over today. It's over officially. The real season starts after the international break."

But standing in their way are a Brentford side brimming with confidence after comfortably dispatching Southampton 3-1 before the international break to register their best start to a Premier League season. 

The Bees also arrive at the Etihad as the last team to beat Guardiola's men on home soil, with head coach Thomas Frank believing his players should take that confidence into their encounter with the reigning champions. 

"The feeling after a win is always unbelievable," said Frank. "It's a combination of relief and happiness.

"We performed well and played a good game. We clearly deserved to win. We need to celebrate our wins for 24 hours because in the Premier League, it is so difficult to win."

"Our high press today was absolutely world-class. We were so aggressive, so well organised and the players were so committed."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Man City – Erling Haaland

Haaland has seven goals in the Premier League this season, the most ever by a player in a team's first three matches of a campaign in the competition.

The record in a team's first four matches in a Premier League season is eight goals by Wayne Rooney for Manchester United in 2011-12.

Brentford – Yoane Wissa

Wissa has started the season in fine form, netting in two of Brentford's three Premier League games so far this campaign, but he has found it difficult against the Citizens in the five matches he has played against them.

Of the teams Wissa has faced in the top flight, City are one of six sides alongside Man United, Brighton, Sheffield United, Watford and Norwich he has failed to score against.

MATCH PREDICTION: MAN CITY WIN

Manchester City have won four of their six Premier League games against Brentford (L2), doing the double over them in both 2021-22 and 2023-24.

They have also won all three of their Premier League games this season. They have won each of their opening four matches of an English top-flight campaign on eight previous occasions (1903-04, 1912-13, 1961-62, 2009-10, 2011-12, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2023-24), which is already the most of any club.

The hosts have won each of their last 12 Premier League games, all by a margin of 2+ goals. Indeed, under Guardiola alone, the Citizens are responsible for six of the 16 runs of 12+ consecutive wins by any club in English top-flight history (38%).

However, Brentford remain the last side to win away to City in any competition, triumphing 2-1 in November 2022. The Citizens are unbeaten in 45 at the Etihad in all competitions since (W38 D7).

The Bees have won two of their three Premier League games this season (L1), their best start to a campaign in the competition. In the top-flight, only in 1946-47 have they ever won three of their opening four matches – but that was the only season they were relegated from this level.

But since the start of last season, Brentford have lost more Premier League away games (13) than any side currently in the competition. The Bees have also lost each of their last five away league games against sides that finished the previous season in the top four.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Man City – 82.3%

Draw –11%

Brentford – 6.7%

Davide Frattesi "deserves trust" from Inter following his impressive form with Italy, according to former Azzurri midfielder Marco Tardelli.

Frattesi was on target in Italy's victories over France and Israel during the international break, as Luciano Spalletti's side made a perfect start to Group A2 in the Nations League.

The 25-year-old has now scored an impressive seven goals - the most of any player during the Spalletti era - in just 21 appearances since making his senior international debut two years ago.

However, he has not featured as frequently this season for Inter, who he joined from Sassuolo on a permanent basis after his initial loan spell last term, with all three of his appearances coming from the bench.

Frattesi faces competition from the established central midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

But 1982 World Cup winner Tardelli, who expects him to be "a starter" alongside Barella for Italy in the coming years, believes he deserves more opportunities with the Nerazzurri.

"Frattesi needs trust from Inter. There aren't many players like him," the former Inter boss told Gazzetta.

"Inzaghi has many strong players. The trio in midfield - Barella, Calhanoglu, and Mkhitaryan - is a certainty. I can't tell Simone who to play, but everyone's seeing what Frattesi is doing. He makes a difference, and he deserves trust.

"He's one of the new midfielders who knows how to be in the right place at the right time. The goal he scored with his chest against Israel proves it. He's always there. He knows how to make late runs and play vertically.

"He attacks, defends and scores crucial goals. He was decisive last season, despite not being a starter. He has great courage. A player like him gives any coach multiple options, and Inzaghi knows this well."

Jesse Marsch is optimistic Mauricio Pochettino will make a "positive impact" following his appointment as the United States' new head coach.

Pochettino was announced on Tuesday as the Stars and Stripes' successor to Gregg Berhalter, who was dismissed following a disappointing group-stage exit at this year's Copa America.

The Argentine has agreed to lead the USA into the 2026 World Cup, which they will co-host with neighbours Canada and Mexico.

Canada boss Marsch was twice linked with taking over the reins of his native nation, but revealed he was not interested in the role "unless there's a big shift in the organisation".

Nevertheless, he feels former Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea head coach Pochettino is undoubtedly the right man to take the country forward.

"I think Pochettino is a good coach. One of his best things is that he's pretty malleable," Marsch said on the latest episode of Call It What You Want.

"He really is pragmatic and tries to get the best out of his teams. He's not married to one system, which you can argue that's good and bad.

"But I think that his focus will be about how to get the best out of his best players, which he had to do at PSG, he had to do at Tottenham, he had to do at Chelsea. And typically, that's been one of the things that he's done well.

"He's gotten really good performances out of his best players and that's helped his team win matches.

"It's yet to be known how it will all turn out, but I would be optimistic that he would be able to have a positive impact on the team and on the sport in the country."

Pochettino's first game in charge will be a friendly versus Panama at the Q2 Stadium in Austin on October 12, before the United States face Mexico three days later.

Arne Slot insists Liverpool still have a lot to prove despite winning all three of their opening Premier League fixtures ahead of welcoming Nottingham Forest to Anfield on Saturday.

The Dutchman is looking to become the first manager to keep four clean sheets in their first four league games at the helm, with the Reds the only side in the division yet to concede this term.

Liverpool's defensive improvements have been overshadowed by their fluidity in attack, which was evident in their impressive 3-0 win over Manchester United before the international break.

But Slot explained that not much needed tweaking to resolve the Reds' defensive rearguard that conceded 41 goals last year, acknowledging his side's good start means nothing just yet.

"I normally don't use the word 'proud' but what I think we did very well in all three games is, like I just mentioned, the work rate without the ball," Slot said.

"So, we try to press the opponent as high as we can but if they play through or over our press, I see everybody working really hard to make sure we don't need Alisson. 

"I don't think that much difference. You are used to, if you followed Liverpool for a long time, them pressing really high. That's what we try to do now as well.

"Like I said, three games played, the first two with Ipswich and Brentford were difficult opponents. A good start, let that be clear, but still a lot to prove.”

Forest, meanwhile, will be looking to put an end to Liverpool's perfect start to the season to maintain their own unbeaten run in the top flight this term. 

Nuno Espirito Santo had to settle for a point against former club Wolves last time out but will be able to unleash his late additions in the transfer window at Anfield. 

James Ward-Prowse and Morato joined on the final day of the window, with the Forest head coach hopeful the pair can provide the rhythm that was missing last time out. 

"First half the game was not in the rhythm - too much disruption," Nuno said. 

"The rhythm of the game for both teams was lose possession, a disrupted game. One positive is we scored and the negative is we conceded so quickly.

"It changed in the second half, we were more dominant and we put Wolves against the ropes."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Liverpool – Diogo Jota

Jota has enjoyed his previous meetings with Forest, scoring six goals in five appearances against them in all competitions. 

He has netted in all three of his games against the Tricky Trees for Liverpool (four goals), which is his longest scoring run against a single opponent in his English club career.

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood

Wood has scored four of Nottingham Forest's last five Premier League goals, including two of their three so far this season.

However, Wood has never scored in 11 league appearances against Liverpool, only facing Chelsea (12) more times in the Premier League without scoring.

MATCH PREDICTION: LIVERPOOL WIN

Both sides come into the contest with an unbeaten Premier League record this campaign, but it is Liverpool who are expected to come out on top, winning 75.9% of Opta's data-led simulations.

The Reds are unbeaten in their last 25 home league games against Nottingham Forest (W20 D5), winning the last six in a row. Their last such defeat was in February 1969 under Bill Shankly (0-2).

Liverpool have won all three of their Premier League games under new manager Slot without conceding a single goal. No manager in the competition's history has kept a clean sheet in each of their first four matches in charge, while only six have won each of their first four, most recently Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea in 2018.

The hosts have only lost once in their last 24 Premier League matches that have immediately followed an international break (W18 D5), going down 4-1 at Manchester City in April 2023. When playing at Anfield in the league straight after an international break, Liverpool have not lost since September 2014 against Aston Villa (0-1).

But Forest are unbeaten in four Premier League matches (W2 D2), their longest such run under Nuno, while not since February 2023 have they enjoyed a longer unbeaten streak in the division (five games).

However, the Tricky Trees have lost their last three Premier League games against Liverpool, their longest run of league defeats against the Reds since a run of five between 1983 and 1985.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Liverpool – 75.9%

Draw – 14.3%

Nottingham Forest – 9.8%

Harry Kane insisted the sky is the limit for what he can achieve with England after marking his 100th Three Lions appearance with two goals against Finland.

Kane, who became the 10th England centurion on Tuesday, marked the milestone with a second-half brace after seeing a header ruled out for offside before the break. 

The Bayern Munich striker has been directly involved in 85 goals (68 goals and 17 assists) since his England debut in March 2015. 

He also netted his 26th and 27th goals at Wembley, the most that any Three Lions player has managed at the iconic venue.

Kane also became the third England player to score on his 100th appearance, after Wayne Rooney (2014) and Bobby Charlton (1970). 

Having taken inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo's 900th career goal ahead of kick-off, Kane has no signs of stopping yet as he eyes 100 goals for his country.

"I try never to set limits on what I can achieve," said Kane. "I know playing in this team, I am going to get chances and, if I get chances, I feel like I can score many goals.

"I am going to keep going as long as I can and who knows what we can achieve? Some of the top players in the world have scored more than I have, so there are targets there to try and achieve."

Kane's double also led England to consecutive victories in the Nations League for the first time since 2018, while helping them maintain their unbeaten record against Finland. 

The Three Lions return to Nations League action next month when they welcome Greece to Wembley on October 10, before travelling to Finland three days later. 

Noussair Mazraoui believes a shift in his mentality was crucial to him finding his way in the professional game, and ultimately ending up in the Premier League at Manchester United.

Mazraoui joined United in August after a spell with Bayern Munich following a successful stint at Ajax, where he worked under Erik ten Hag.

The full-back has turned in some bright displays in the early days of his United career, and ahead of Saturday’s clash with struggling Southampton, the 26-year-old reflected on his career path so far.

"When I became older and more mature, it was still, yeah, almost 50-50 [whether I would make it]," he said in an interview with Inside United. "I went and played professional football without a contract. And, what you said, it was do or die because, at that moment, you come to the point of no return.

"It’s either you go for it fully or that’s it. You will just make steps upwards or, from there on, it could be the end of your career, but you cannot even say your career as it was not even at the beginning.

"So that was a little bit the case when I became 18 or 19 years old and, from there on, something in my head just switched.

"I didn’t look back anymore. I just looked forward. I had a goal and that was to fight for a contract and to be a professional footballer because I was just so close, I could smell it. And, yeah, if you don’t make it, it would be that you will regret that for the rest of your life. And I wouldn’t want to live with that. "

A sorry 3-0 home defeat to Liverpool saw United head into the international break with a whimper, and on the back of two straight Premier League losses.

But a match against one of the only two winless teams in the Premier League as it stands surely presents a great opportunity for United to get back on track in Saturday's early kick-off.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Southampton – Aaron Ramsdale

New Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, signed from Arsenal on deadline day, is set to make his home debut at St Mary's.

Since keeping a clean sheet in his first Premier League game against United while at Bournemouth in November 2019, the England international has conceded in each of his last eight games against the Red Devils. His 19 goals conceded in these games is the joint-most he’s shipped against any opponent in the competition (also 19 v Liverpool).

Manchester United – Joshua Zirkzee

Zirkzee scored and assisted in the Netherlands’ 5-2 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina last week, and will now be looking to keep up the momentum on his return to club football.

The forward netted the winner when United beat Fulham 1-0 in the opening match of the season.

MATCH PREDICTION: MAN UTD WIN

United have lost as many as two of their first three league games in a season for the second time under Ten Hag (also 2022-23), as many times as they had in their previous 29 campaigns combined (2018-19 and 2020-21). They last lost three of their first four back in 1986-87.

Southampton were beaten 3-1 at Brentford last time out. They are now on 399 Premier League defeats, from 927 matches, and are on the brink of becoming the fifth team to lose as many as 400 games in the competition, and in the fewest amount of fixtures (West Ham 976, Aston Villa 1,072, Newcastle 1,090, Everton 1,128).

Southampton are looking to avoid becoming the first team to lose each of their first four in three different Premier League seasons, previously having done so in 1998-99 and 2012-13 (the last time they were a promoted side).

United, meanwhile, have scored around three goals fewer than their xG suggests they should have so far this season (two goals from 5.2 xG), the biggest such difference in the competition this term.

Errors have been a huge thorn in the side of both these teams. Southampton (four) and United (three) have made the most errors leading to a goal in the Premier League so far this season. Indeed, all three of the goals the Red Devils conceded in their loss at Liverpool last time out came via errors, the first time on record they have ever committed as many in a single Premier League match (since 2007-08).

United are unbeaten in their last 12 Premier League away games against Southampton (W7 D5) since a 1-0 loss in August 2003, so while they may be out of form, there is reason for Ten Hag to be confident.

In fact, Southampton are winless in their last 14 Premier League meetings with United (D8 L6) since a 1-0 away win in January 2016.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Southampton – 23.6%

Man Utd – 52.25%

Draw – 24.2%