Liverpool vs Southampton
Date: 01/02/2020
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Anfield
Referee: Kevin Friend
Jurgen Klopp and his men will have their eyes on a 16th straight Premier League victory this weekend against a Southampton side who have dazzled on the road. If Liverpool win this weekend, they will equal Manchester City’s record for consecutive home wins in the Premier League (20). Southampton, who narrowly lost out against the Reds at St. Mary’s will try to maintain their positive away form as they continue to match up the table. However, facing Liverpool at Anfield is enough to intimidate any team in the world and Ralph Hasenhuttl and his men will really have to pull it out of the bag if they are to leave Merseyside with as much as a point.
The last time Southampton won at Anfield was back in 2013 with Dejan Lovren scoring the winner. Lovren will be confident that he will be on the winning side this time around as Southampton have only won three out of their last 30 games at Anfield (D10 L17) and are winless in their last five (D2 L3). However, Klopp will not take this game sitting down. Southampton have defeated Leicester, Chelsea and Tottenham away from home in 2020 so the team from Merseyside will be expecting a good fight.
Liverpool currently sit 19 points clear at the top of the Premier League but Klopp’s ambition is to keep the consistency and take one game at a time. The wound of accumulating 97 points and not winning the title will still be fresh and the whole of Liverpool will be keen not to make the same mistake twice. Southampton sit in 9th place, one point ahead of five teams and three points behind Manchester United in 5th. Despite being farfetched, a win would be huge for the side on the South Coast as it would lift them into European Cup territory.
Team News
Liverpool
Klopp will be without ex-Saint Sadio Mane this weekend due to his injury picked up this month. Apart from Mane, Liverpool will be bolstering a full-strength squad as Klopp’s lack of interest in the FA Cup replay is evident.
Protection of players is vital as severe injuries can occur due to the strain professional athletes bodies get put under. Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford are prime examples of this. Two top quality strikers unable to play through injuries sustained due to overworking. Klopp has managed his side excellently this season, with the squad depth matching his style perfectly.
His concern for players and the match schedules radiates far wider than his own side, as his concern is universal. With backing from Pep Guardiola, it may be time for the FA to consider reshaping the intense fixture list. His disconcert with the FA Cup has allowed Klopp to focus on the league, enabling Liverpool to field a full-strength side this weekend.
Mohammed Salah loves playing against Southampton as in his last five appearances he has been involved in six goals, his pace and trickery proving too much for the Saints defence. Southampton have been far more solid in the latter half of this season. However, Liverpool’s strike force may be too much for the likes of Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens, despite his nomination for Premier League player of the month.
Southampton
Southampton fans will be distraught that Stuart Armstrong will miss Saturday’s game through a hip injury sustained against Tottenham in the FA Cup. The Scot has been pivotal to the turnaround witnessed at St. Mary’s as his link-up play between the defence and the attack has been exactly what Hasenhuttl needed.
Che Adams, Sofiane Boufal or Moussa Djenepo will all have been fighting to get their name on the team sheet as a replacement for the missing Armstrong. This weekend will be a baptism of fire for Kyle Walker-Peters as the young full-back completed his move to St. Mary’s on loan for the remainder of the season, and after the dispatching of Cedric Soares, this leaves no other option as Yan Valery is still not deemed match fit after his illness.
Hasenhuttl will have his eyes on Wednesday’s replay with Spurs in the FA Cup so it will be interesting to see the approach taken by the Saints manager, considering the opposition this weekend. One player who will be keen to prove his worth will be ex-Liverpool player, Danny Ings. His time at Liverpool was filled with injuries. However, he now sits joint-third top goal scorer in the Premier League and what sweeter way to move to second than to score against your former club.
Predicted Starting XIs
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Origi
Southampton (4-4-2): McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Stephens, Bednarek, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Redmond, Djenepo; Ings, Long
Score Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Southampton
Despite the Saints’ excellent away form, the strength of Liverpool will be far too much for the side on the South Coast. Danny Ings may cause the Reds some problems. However, defensively it is difficult to see Southampton penetrating their back four very often.
