Southampton will host Liverpool at St. Mary’s on Sunday, and they will look to pick up a morale-boosting win at home.
Southampton are in disappointing form right now with five defeats in the last six league matches ahead of the visit of Liverpool. The Saints need to start picking up points if they want to preserve their status as a top-flight club next season. They are at the bottom of the league table with just one win from 11 league games.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are hoping to push for the Premier League title this season, and they are currently five points clear at the top of the table. The Reds have picked up five wins from the last six league games, and they will certainly fancy their chances of getting all three points here.
Liverpool cannot afford to drop points in these games if they are serious about pushing the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal. It will be interesting to see if they can continue their impressive run form with a victory away from home. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Southampton
Southampton will be without Gavin Bazunu due to an Achilles injury against Liverpool. Ross Stewart and William Smallbone will miss out due to calf and thigh injuries, respectively. Jan Bednarek has a knee injury and Aaron Ramsdale misses out with a wrist injury.
The home team will shape up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Alex McCarthy in goal. The back three will see Taylor Harwood-Bellis will start alongside Jack Stephens and Nathan Wood. Yukinari Sugawara and Kyle Walker-Peters will start as the wing-backs. They will look to keep things compact defensively and protect the central defenders.
As for the midfield unit, Joe Aribo will start alongside Flynn Downes and Lesley Ugochukwu. They will look to protect the side defensively and control the tempo of the game. Finally, Adam Armstrong will start alongside Ben Brereton Diaz in the strike partnership for Southampton against Liverpool.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): McCarthy; Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Wood; Sugawara, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Downes, Walker-Peters; Armstrong, Diaz
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without Alisson Becker due to a hamstring injury. Federico Chiesa will miss out with a knock, and Diogo Jota has an abdominal injury. Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Southampton, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson should start as the full-backs, although the former is touch-and-go. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch will add composure and control to the side from the deep. Dominik Szoboszlai will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third, and he will look to drive the team forward as well.
Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will add pace, flair and goals from the wide areas, with Darwin Nunez leading the line for Liverpool against Southampton at St. Mary’s on Sunday afternoon.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Nunez
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won 11 of their last 13 matches against Southampton in all competitions.
- Liverpool have scored at least two goals in 13 of their last 15 matches in the Premier League.
- Southampton have failed to win 23 of their last 24 matches in the Premier League.
- 24 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between the two teams.
- Southampton have conceded 11 goals in their last six outings.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international has been in phenomenal form for Liverpool this season, and he has been scoring and creating opportunities for his teammates consistently. The 32-year-old is our key to watch out for and he will look to dismantle the Southampton defence here.
The home team have been quite vulnerable defensively, and they will struggle to keep the Egyptian international quiet. The experienced attacker has been involved in an unsurpassed 14 Premier League goals this season, scoring eight and providing six assists. Salah will look to continue that run when Liverpool and Southampton lock horns this weekend this weekend.
Prediction
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool
Southampton will be desperate for a good result here, and they will look to put on a strong performance against Liverpool. They will look to make life difficult for the opposition, but the gulf in class between the two sides is immense. Liverpool are undoubtedly the favourites heading into this contest and they have the quality to grind out all three points.
The away side cannot afford to drop points in these games if they are serious about winning the league title. They should be able to edge this one. A close contest is expected, but Southampton’s defence is likely to let them down.
