Southampton vs Liverpool match preview, analysis, H2H, possible line-ups

Liverpool have an end to their difficult 2022/23 season happen at Southampton’s St. Mary Stadium.

The Reds would want to just play good football in order to end the season on a good note after Manchester United’s 4-1 thrashing of Chelsea on Thursday took Champions League qualification out of their reach.

Jurgen Klopp’s boys were finally forced to hit the brakes with a 1-1 draw to Aston Villa at the Anfield after winning seven straight games in the Premier League in a race to steal the last Champions League spot.

Jacob Ramsey’s first-half strike put the visitors ahead but Roberto Firmino’s late effort and probably last goal for The Reds could not be backed up by a winner as Liverpool dropped points in the Premier League for the first time since playing a 2-2 draw with Arsenal on April 9.

Liverpool have a definite 5th-place finish. They lead Brighton(6th, 62) by four points. Even if The Reds lose and De Zerbi’s side beat Villa on Sunday, they would only crawl up to one point behind the nineteen-time EPL Champions.

The Reds have given their all and an inconsistent mid-season period is to blame for their inability to hit top four this term. They are set to record the club’s second worst Premier League finish since Jurgen Klopp took over from Brendan Rodgers in 2015.

Southampton are coming from the Falmer stadium were beaten by The Seagulls this past Sunday. Evan Fergusson scored twice in the first-half before Mohamed Elyounoussi cut back on Brighton’s lead. Pascal Groß wrapped things up with Brighton’s third of the game.

Liverpool were victorious over the Saints last time out in the Premier League at Anfield. Firmino struck in the opening six minutes to give The Reds the lead with Che Adams cancelling out with an equaliser three minutes later. A first half brace from Darwin Núñez then restored and sealed the win for Klopp’s side.

Southampton vs Liverpool key stats

• The Saints are on a five-game losing streak(vs Bournemouth, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Brighton)
• Southampton are without a win in their past twelve games. The last time they recorded victory was against Leicester City, 1-0 on March 4.
• Ruben Selles men have only won two Premier League games at the St. Mary Stadium this season. They’ve won double that amount(four) away in the league. Four draws and twelve losses have been recorded in the league on home soil this campaign.
• Liverpool are undefeated in their last ten games in the league. They have won seven out of the past eight and last recorded a loss on April 1, a 1-0 defeat to Manchester City. They’re also unbeaten in four away fixtures.
• The Saints have lost ten out of their last eleven fixtures against The Reds, all in the Premier League
• Liverpool have recorded victories in four of their past five trips to Southampton. They’ve also won the past four meetings in both home and away encounters.
• Jurgen Klopp has come up against Southampton 18 times. He’s been victorious in 11 encounters, with three draws and four losses.

Southampton vs Liverpool H2H and form

Matches played: 117
Southampton: 31 wins
Liverpool: 61 wins
Games drawn: 25

Past five meetings:
Southampton 1-0 Liverpool (04-01-2021)
Liverpool 2-0 Southampton (08-05-2021)
Liverpool 4-0 Southampton (27-11-2021)
Southampton 1-2 Liverpool (17-05-2022)
Liverpool 3-1 Southampton (12-11-2022)

Southampton: WLLLL
Liverpool: LWWWW

Past five fixtures:
Southampton:
(H) 1-0 Bournemouth
(A) 1-3 Newcastle
(A) 3-4 Nottingham Forest
(H) 0-2 Fulham
(A) 1-3 Brighton
Form: WLLLL

Liverpool:
(H) 4-3 Tottenham
(H) 1-0 Fulham
(H) 1-0 Brentford
(A) 3-0 Leicester City
(H) 1-1 Aston Villa

Form: WWWWD

Southampton: 20th in the Premier League, 24 points, 6-6-25

Liverpool: 5th in the Premier League, 66 points, 19-9-9

Southampton vs Liverpool injuries:

Southampton:
Romain Perraud(ankle), Armel Bella Kotchap(Thigh), Paul Onuachu(Back), Mohamed Salisu(Groin), Juan Larios(Thigh) remain unfit for The Saints. Che Adams who also came off against Nottingham Forest is out with a calf injury.

Liverpool:
Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita, Calvin Ramsay and Stefan Bajcetic remain out of the picture for Liverpool. They are joined by a couple of stars:

Darwin Nunez:
The Uruguayan forward missed both matches against Leicester City and Aston Villa due to a toe injury. Having ‘trained fully’ ahead of Sunday’s tie, he could be expected to make the trip to Southampton

Ibrahim Konate: Came down with an unspecified illness. It’s not sure the French defender would be fielded at St. Mary on Sunday.

Andrew Robertson: The right-back was said to have felt ‘something in his groin’ and at such his chances of appearing in the season finale remains up in the air

Possible line-ups:

Southampton:

4-1-4-1: McCarthy, Walker Peters, Lyanco, Bednarek, Bree, Elyounoussi, Alcaraz, Lavia, Ward Prowse, Walcott, Aribo

Liverpool:

4-3-3: Alisson, Tsimikas, Van Djik, Gomez, Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Fabinho, Jones, Diaz, Salah, Gakpo