Is Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Manchester United against Southampton today?
Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start when Manchester United host Southampton in the Premier League later today (Saturday, 12 February).
Ralf Rangnick's side will be hoping to return to winning ways after being held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley, who are currently in the relegation zone. The result saw the Red Devils drop out of the Premier League top four.
United will now return to Old Trafford with Cristiano Ronaldo expected to lead the line against Ralph Hasenhuttl's Southampton side. It is worth mentioning that Ronaldo started the game against Burnley on the bench. The 37-year-old forward was brought on with 20 minutes remaining in the game and failed to make a positive impact.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner could be joined by Jadon Sancho, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford in attack. Ralf Rangnick is also expected to start Frenchman Paul Pogba in midfield.
📸| Cristiano Ronaldo training today ahead of the game against Southampton on Saturday. https://t.co/xxqXPpZBZq
Ronaldo has faced Southampton on four occasions during his first spell at Old Trafford. Of those four matches, the 37-year-old forward has scored twice. One of the goals came in the Premier League while the other was scored in the FA Cup during the 2004-05 season.
As things stand, Manchester United are sixth in the Premier League standings, having accumulated 39 points from 23 matches. The Red Devils are currently only a point behind fourth-placed West Ham United. However, both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have games in hand over the Hammers and United, putting them in a more favorable position.
Southampton, on the other hand, entered the top half of the standings following their 3-2 win over Tottenham in mid-week. The Saints are currently 10th in the table, having amassed 28 points from 23 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo has hit a patch of poor form for Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo has not been in the best of form for Manchester United over the past few weeks. The Portuguese forward has not scored for the Red Devils since their 3-1 win over Burnley in late December. He has not scored in his previous four Premier League outings.
Ralf Rangnick has addressed the problem and wants all of United's forwards to step up and score more goals. Speaking to the press ahead of their game against Southampton, Rangnick said:
"It's not only about Cristiano Ronaldo. He should score more goals, it's obvious. I think we are creating enough chances and enough opportunities in the last couple of games but we just didn't score enough goals, but this is not only an issue with Cristiano, it's an issue with the other players, especially the offensive players. We don't score enough goals."
Rangnick on Ronaldo: “He should score more goals, it is obvious. We created a lot of chances but not scored enough but it is not only about Cristiano.“ #MUFC
Despite his recent poor form, Cristiano Ronaldo is still Manchester United's leading goalscorer this season. The 37-year-old forward has scored 14 goals in 25 appearances across all competitions.