Ace Football previews the Premier League match between Southampton and Liverpool, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
Liverpool plan to restore their three-point lead in the Premier League standings by claiming a 10th win of the season at Southampton.
Both clubs ended 2020 on a sour note, having to settle for goalless draws, but hope to go one better for their first match of 2021. And considering how close things are in the league, neither can afford to leave St Mary’s empty-handed.
Liverpool have bragging rights in this fixture. The visitors thrashed Southampton 4-0 last February at home, making it six consecutive victories over the Saints with an aggregate score of 17-2 in the English top-flight.
Southampton Form & Stats
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side had a disappointing end to December. A four-match winless run, including back-to-back goalless stalemates in their last two games, has demoted them from a top-four spot down to ninth in the standings. That said, they could go as high as sixth on Monday by beating Liverpool.
But Southampton’s form at St Mary’s has been inconsistent, despite boasting the league’s sixth-best home record. Four wins in eight games (D1 L3) so far isn’t bad. But those three defeats all came against the ‘Big Six’ clubs in Manchester City (0-1), Manchester United (2-3), and Tottenham (2-5). They’ve also lost their last three home games against Liverpool.
Hasenhuttl’s return to the dugout, however, is a welcome boost. The Saints boss, nicknamed the ‘Klopp of the Alps’, had to sit out of the club’s 0-0 draw against West Ham last week due to his wife testing positive for COVID-19. But a second test returned a negative result, meaning the first one was a false positive.
And with their manager back, Southampton will be gunning to become the first club to beat all seven Premier League champions in the season after a title win.
Key Team Stats
- Winless in their last 4 league games (D3 L1).
- Failed to score in their last 3 league games.
- Lost all 3 games at home against Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham.
- Never had 3 consecutive goalless draws in their league history.
- Could become the first club to defeat all 7 Premier League champions in the season after a title win.
- Danny Ings hasn’t scored in his last 4 league appearances.
Liverpool Form & Stats
The Reds, much like Southampton, have drawn their last two league games. Picking up two points out of a possible six has cost them valuable ground in the title battle, allowing Manchester United to move level with them on 33 points at the top of the standings. Only goal difference keeps them in front for now.
But Liverpool’s away form is a concern, having won just two of their eight games (D5 L1) on the road this season. The 11 points gathered leaves them with only the 11th-best record in the Premier League. Three of their five draws have also ended 1-1 against Manchester City, Brighton, and Fulham.
Although the returns of Thiago Alcantara, James Milner, and Xherdan Shaqiri last week were a boost. Liverpool have even got an impressive record against Southampton, with Mohamed Salah having scored seven goals in six meetings with the Saints.
Key Team Stats
- Failed to win their last two league games (D2).
- Drawn 5 of their eight away league games (W2 D1).
- Won their last 6 league games against Southampton, including the previous three at St Mary’s.
- Conceded 7 goals in their last 11 league games.
- Mohamed Salah has scored 7 goals in his 6 league games against Southampton.
- Divock Origi is the only Reds star to score a hat-trick at St Mary’s.
- James Milner, who celebrates his 35th birthday today, can make a Premier League appearance for the 20th year in a row.
Team News
Southampton
Out: Alex McCarthy (COVID-19), Jannik Vestergaard, Nathan Redmond.
Doubts: N/A.
Liverpool
Out: Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, Joe Gomez, Konstantinos Tsimikas, Naby Keita, Diogo Jota.
Doubts: N/A.
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in Premier League
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in the Premier League.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
More Odds
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