Liverpool vs Southampton Preview: Classic Encounter, Team News, Predictions and More

Liverpool host Southampton at the weekend, knowing that win could see them move to the top of the Premier League table.

Following a thrilling 3-2 victory against French heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain and a confident 2-1 win against Tottenham at the weekend, Liverpool will be hoping to extend their unbeaten start to the 2018/19 season.

Southampton enter the match with a point to prove, after a frustrating 2-2 draw with Brighton on Monday which left them in 13th place. A win has the potential to push them to the top half of the table. 

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Classic Encounter

Southampton 1 - 6 Liverpool (December 2015)

In the quarter final of the EFL Cup, Southampton opened the scoring in the first 60 seconds when none other than the (then) Southampton star Sadio Mane heading the Saints into the lead.

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The fiery match began to look one sided as Sturridge netted twice in a lightning four minutes midway through the first half, and it wasn't long before Origi scored his first goal for Liverpool after deflected an Alberto Moreno strike into the net.

The Saints woes only intensified as Origi hit the back of the net once again in the 68th minute to make the scoreline 4-1, but the Reds weren't about to let up. Substitute Jordon Ibe came onto the pitch and after another creative pass from Alberto Moreno, the youngster found the back of the net in impressive fashion.

One more goal followed, as Origi capped off his incredible performance with his third goal of the game.

Current Form

Southampton have seen a rocky start to the season, having only registered a total of one win since their campaign kicked off. However, the win was sandwiched between the fateful 2-2 draw with Brighton and a 2-1 loss to Leicester, underwhelming results which left them in the bottom half of the table.

Liverpool on the other hand, are on their way to match records on Saturday if they achieve a sixth consecutive win to start the season; a feat which only Bill Shankly managed in the 1961/62 season.

Team News

Southampton are set to face a mighty blow as they lose Danny Ings who is on loan from Liverpool, and as a result, is contractually obligated to sit out the match at Anfield on Saturday. Ings has provided the majority of goals for the Saints and will be sorely missed, while a promising looking Højbjerg will be hoping to continue to find the net in the absence of the striker. Manager Mark Hughes will have full availability of the rest of his squad, perhaps bringing in Charlie Austin to fill the role of the sidelined Englishman.

Though Firmino participated in the second half of Liverpool's clash against PSG, it remains to be seen whether or not manager Klopp will decide to preserve his injured eye or continue to field the star at a potential risk. Defender Dejan Lovren is back in training after weeks out due to injury, but with the Croatian unlikely to be match fit and his replacement Joe Gomez impressing in his absence, it seems unlikely Lovren will get a look in at Anfield this weekend.

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Potential Lineups

Southampton: McCarthy, Soares, Vestergaard, Hoedt, Bertrand, Hojbjerg, Lemina, Elyounoussi, Nathan Redmond, Long, Austin.

Liverpool: Alisson, Robertson, Gomez, Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, Keita, Wijnaldum, Milner, Mane, Salah, Firmino.

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Prediction

The Saints would have to organise what is sporadically a solid defence to keep out the prolific Liverpool attacking trio, though after managing two clean sheets so far, the difficult feat remains somewhat plausible. 

Image by Jack Gallagher

Due to Liverpool's goal-scoring prowess and superior form, though, it seems likely that even with Egyptian star Salah's slow start to the season, the relentlessly attacking side will be able to sneak a couple of goals past the Southampton defence, however scrappy those goals may be.

Predicted scoreline: Liverpool 2-0 Southampton.