(Football news) Having recently won the FA Cup, Liverpool have the opportunity to reduce their gap against Manchester City to just 1 point if they secure three points at the St. Mary’s Stadium against Southampton. With a quadruple still a realistic possibility, the Reds take on Southampton, who lost 3-0 to Brentford in their last match but are safe from relegation.
It’s fair to say that Liverpool will need some fresh faces in the starting XI, especially after their gruelling match against Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Jurgen Klopp said “As difficult as it is, that obviously is the job to do and we have to see who is able to help. The 30 extra minutes made a big difference, but we have to see. If we can go into the last matchday one point behind [Manchester City] that is the perfect scenario.”
In team news, Southampton have no fresh injuries and the squad remains almost fully fit except for long-term absentee Valentino Livramento. Saints manager Ralph Hasenhüttl will be looking to start with Stuart Armstrong and Fraser Forster, who are expected to recover in time for the match. In the pre-match press conference, Hasenhüttl said “Man City lost four points against us in the title race. The first game against Liverpool we lost, so now it’s up to us to show we can be competitive. It’s our Champions League final, if you want, and we are going for this with everything we have.”
As for Liverpool, the likes of Fabinho, Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah are unavailable due to injuries while Andy Robertson is doubtful after suffering a cramp in the FA Cup final. Jurgen Klopp is expected to make changes to his starting XI with the likes of Tsimikas, Joe Gomez, Roberto Firmino and Curtis Jones expected to feature in the team. Despite the makeshift lineup, Liverpool are expected to secure a comfortable victory, especially considering that Southampton have lost two consecutive games in the league and haven’t won a fixture in their last four games.
Also read: Arsenal suffer Champions League blow with defeat against Newcastle
