Liverpool vs. Southampton: EPL Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

In a matchup that seems likely to go down to the wire, Premier League leaders Liverpool will visit Premier League cellar dwellers Southampton on Saturday afternoon at Anfield.

The Reds are back in championship hunt mode after a very narrow 1-0 victory against PSG in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 match, while PSG's most recent game resulted in a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Liverpool owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the phenomenal Alisson Becker, whose self-proclaimed finest performance of his life was instrumental in the club's snatching a first-leg lead away from the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.

The Reds' travelling following were in ecstasy as Harvey Elliott scored a goal to give Arne Slot's team a commanding lead before next week's second leg after they had weathered a ferocious onslaught from the Parisien and had a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia shot disallowed for a close offside.

While Paris Saint-Germain visited Anfield, Liverpool continued their march towards a domestic and continental treble by capitalising on Arsenal's offensive struggles at home to open up a seemingly insurmountable 13-point lead atop the Premier League. A few days later, Liverpool will face Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final.

While not every Liverpool performance in the previous two months has been spectacular, the Reds have won at least one of their last twenty-four Premier League matches, and points are more critical than displays at this juncture.

Rest assured, Slot's squad has scored in each of their last 18 home matches, putting any concerns to rest. The last time this happened was in February 2011, when Manchester United's 29-game streak came to an end against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the team at the bottom of the league.

With an incredible 58 points separating them from their hosts in the Premier League standings, Liverpool look destined for top-flight greatness, while Southampton are relegated to the Championship.

As long as the Saints' current point total of nine puts them in danger of finishing last in the Premier League, their former coach Ivan Juric—who has previously coached for Roma and Torino—has failed to orchestrate the miraculous turnaround necessary to keep them afloat.

The Blues had no trouble thrashing Southampton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge last week, despite the Saints' struggles of late. With 11 games remaining, the distance to safety is now 13 points.

Amazingly, Southampton have lost more Premier League games than all but one club since the start of the 2022-23 season; their 47 top-flight defeats in two seasons is only less than Wolverhampton Wanderers' 54 in three, even though they spent the 2023-24 campaign in the Championship.

Even though the Saints came close in their Premier League and EFL Cup home losses to Liverpool in late 2024, they have now lost their last six Premier League games at Anfield, so Southampton fans have every right to expect Saturday's match to extend that streak to a dismal seven.

Liverpool x Southampton Team News

Although he travelled to Paris for the Champions League match, Dutch forward Cody Gakpo was unable to participate in the first leg because of a recent injury, and his participation in Saturday's match against Southampton is also doubtful.

Reds manager Roberto Martinez will almost certainly make some changes between their two crucial matches against PSG, despite the fact that Tyler Morton (shoulder), Joe Gomez (hamstring), and Conor Bradley (hamstring) will all be out due to injuries. Martinez was banned from the touchline for one more domestic game.

Although Elliott, Darwin Nunez, and Curtis Jones are all in contention for starting spots, the starting lineup should include Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian international who has scored or assisted in 12 consecutive Premier League home games.

James Bree and Kyle Walker-Peters are two of Southampton's defenders who hurt themselves in the defeat to Chelsea; Juric is worried about their availability since they are on the infirm list along with five other Saints players.

The availability of Ross Stewart (health), Juan Larios (health), and Ryan Fraser (calf) is in question, while ex-Red Adam Lallana (thigh) and Jan Bednarek (fatigue) are also in question. However, Jan Bednarek is expected to be cleared to play.

Fortunately, Lesley Ugochukwu is back. The Chelsea loanee was unable to play against her parent club last week, but she will undoubtedly return to the starting lineup this week.

Our Predictions

Liverpool to win & Over 4.5 goals @ 2.26 on Sky247.ng

Even with a benchlight, Liverpool should have no trouble dispatching their Championship-bound opponents. What seems like a paper mismatch is guaranteed to turn out to be a physical one as well.

Liverpool may relax before Sunday's match between Manchester United and Arsenal, with the score reflecting the 58-point gap between the two teams.

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