Liverpool will seek to regain their leadership of the Premier League table by overcoming Southampton at St Mary’s on Friday.
Jurgen Klopp’s men have not been at their best in recent games but have found a way to win tight matches in trying circumstances, with a late own goal giving them a key 2-1 win over Tottenham on Sunday.
With Manchester City leapfrogging them on Wednesday, however, they cannot afford a slip against a Southampton side that have won three of their last four matches but remain in relegation danger, just five points clear of the bottom three.
| Game | Southampton vs Liverpool |
| Date | Friday, April 5 |
| Time | 8:00pm BST / 3:00pm EST |
| Stream (US only) | fuboTV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) .
New users can sign up for a free seven-day trial of the live sports streaming service, which can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| NBCSN / UNIVERSO | fuboTV |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be shown on television on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. It will be available to stream live online using the Sky Sports app.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Premier League | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Southampton squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gunn, Forster, McCarthy, Rose |
| Defenders | Vestergaard, Stephens, Bednarek, Yoshida, Bertrand, Targett, Valery |
| Midfielders | Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Hojbjerg, Armstrong |
| Forwards | Redmond, Elyounoussi, Sims, Austin, Long, Gallagher |
Southampton are without top scorer Danny Ings, who is not allowed to play against his parent club. Also in attack, Michael Obafemi is out while Shane Long was a doubt but is in the XI.
Mario Lemina has been ruled out but Jannik Vestergaard should play.
Confirmed Southampton starting XI: Gunn; Vestergaard, Bednarek, Yoshida; Valery, Romeu, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, Bertrand; Redmond, Long
| Position | Liverpool squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Alisson, Mignolet, Kelleher |
| Defenders | Van Dijk, Lovren, Gomez, Moreno, Robertson, Matip, Alexander-Arnold, Randall |
| Midfielders | Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Milner, Keita, Henderson, Lallana, Woodburn |
| Forwards | Firmino, Mane, Salah, Sturridge, Shaqiri, Origi |
Jurgen Klopp will be able to field Virgil van Dijk, who suffered an ankle knock but is ready for action. Additionally, Joe Gomez has returned to training but is lacking match sharpness and will not play.
Definitely out is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Confirmed Liverpool starting XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Matip, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane
Betting & Match Odds
Liverpool are the odds-on favourites to take the three points and are priced at 4/11 with bet365 . Southampton are available at 7/1 while a draw is 15/4.
Match Preview
Getty
Liverpool might have got a little lucky on Sunday as Toby Alderweireld’s last-gasp own goal gave them a 2-1 victory against Tottenham, but such hard-fought victories are fuelling the belief of Jurgen Klopp’s side that they can win the Premier League title.
Manchester City's midweek win over Cardiff means that they trail the defending champions by a point but the title battle remains on the edge of a knife.
Both sides are setting a remarkable pace, with neither showing any sign of blinking.
The Reds have shown a particular aptitude in scoring critical late goals, which left-back Andy Robertson has put down to their mentality.
“I think it comes from the whole squad having the right attitude and belief that we are good enough to win any game,” he said. “It doesn't matter how it goes in at this stage of the season, it is just about getting it over the line.
“We know we've got the energy, we know we've got the heart to go right until the end in every single game. Our fitness levels are the best they should be at this point of the season so we know we can go right to the end. But sometimes you just need that wee bit of luck and we got it.”
No-one at Anfield is under the illusion that getting over the line will be easy, even from the advantageous position they find themselves in.
“To be honest I think we need to win all of the games, even if it won’t be easy,” Sadio Mane explained. “But we still can win every game because we are a good team and we play very well.”
Although Southampton are at the opposite end of the table, Klopp refuses to treat the game lightly.
“It's another team in a really good moment,” he warned. “We will fight again. That's all that I can promise.”
In recent weeks, Saints have recorded victories over Fulham, Tottenham and Brighton, while they were unlucky to go down 3-2 at Manchester United, conceding the vital goal a couple of minutes from the end.
Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has orchestrated quite the turnaround from the side that was only off the foot of the table on goal difference when he took charge in December.
“There's high energy and a lot of running, and we're getting our rewards,” midfielder Stuart Armstrong explained. “I think the manager's brought a bit of structure to the team, and how we set up in an attacking and defensive way.
“We just feel more organised. We feel more together as a team. We're all working in the same direction. We all know what each other's doing, and where we're running and why we're running. It's certainly working.”
With both sides favouring a high pressing game, this encounter promises to be fast and furious – and another big test for Liverpool.
