England captain David Beckham is expected to return to the Manchester United team on Saturday as the champions attempt to continue their revival at home to Southampton.
Beckham has been forced to sit out four games with a back injury that manager Alex Ferguson puts down to his exertions while helping England qualify for the World Cup finals.
Ferguson will also include midfielder Ryan Giggs in the strongest squad he has fielded for several weeks, while striker Andy Cole is fit again after coming through a reserve game on Thursday.