Liverpool have put undue pressure on themselves going into matchday 17. The Reds have drawn back-to-back matches versus West Brom and Newcastle United, failing to ignite in the final third.
Now, Jurgen Klopp’s team head to the south coast to play Southampton ahead of a massive top of the table fixture versus Manchester United on January 17th.
Southampton are not one of the teams Liverpool want to face right now. Ralph Hassenhuttl’s team are playing excellent football. The Saints are ninth in the standings on 26 points. They are just three points off of Everton going into the weekend.
A win for Southampton could see them move into the top five. A loss would dent their Europa League qualification hopes.
Liverpool won away at Southampton last season thanks to goals from Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino on either side of halftime. Klopp was forced to play back-up goalie Adrian in place of Alisson Becker.
Adrian’s deflected clearance found the back of the net to give Southampton their only goal of the match. The match’s 2-1 scoreline was much closer on paper than on the pitch.
Klopp is likely to start Thiago Alcantara after his return to the team in midweek. Curtis Jones should be sacrificed after a poor outing versus Newcastle United. Joel Matip, Naby Keita, and Diogo Jota remain ruled out with their respective injuries.
Nat Phillips is likely to play next to Fabinho once more. The club’s medical staff will be desperate to get Matip fit for the match versus Manchester United in two weeks.
Klopp could sit Mohamed Salah from the start. The winger has been inconsistent this campaign in spite of the 13 league goals scored this term. Salah has gone missing in too many games, such as the midweek fixture versus Newcastle United.
Hassenhuttl has just two players on the sidelines with an injury. Centre-back Jannick Vestergaard and midfielder Nathan Redmond are both ruled out of the fixture.
Liverpool have won six straight matches versus Southampton. However, their current run of form is likely to see them slip up once more. The Reds are making pressure for themselves.
Southampton have taken 13 points from 24 at home this term. They snatched a nil-nil draw versus West Ham in midweek. Liverpool have drawn five of their last six away matches in the league. That trend is likely to continue as Southampton grab a low-scoring draw versus the Reds on Monday.