Southampton vs. Liverpool: Odds, Preview, Live Stream, TV Info
Liverpool will bid to return to the top of the Premier League when they travel to St Mary's Stadium to face Southampton on Friday night.
The Saints are not clear of the threat of relegation just yet, despite some impressive recent results. Beating Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 last time out helped the cause, but manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will know how much of a lift taking points off the potential champions would give his players for the run-in.
As for Liverpool, the Reds know they must take advantage of playing before league leaders Manchester City by earning maximum points to keep the pressure firmly on the champions.
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Date: Friday, April 5
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET
TV Info: Sky Sports PL, NBCSN
Live Stream: Sky Go, NBC Sports App, fuboTV
Odds (Per OddsChecker)
- Southampton: 15-2
- Liverpool: 4-9
- Draw: 4-1
Liverpool have already received good news ahead of the match, notably a positive report on the fitness of Virgil van Dijk.
Manager Jurgen Klopp expects the former Southampton centre-back to play after he appeared to pull up late on during Sunday's 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.
Van Dijk cost the Reds £75 million, a world-record fee for a defender, in January 2018. He's proved worth every penny since, as the Netherlands international has fortified what was a shaky back four.
It also helps to have Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andrew Robertson at full-back. Both are relentless going forward and possess the technique to create chances.
Mohamed Salah has had trouble taking those opportunities recently. The Egypt international has scored just once in his last 11 games in all competitions, but he still feels he is playing at a high level:
Fortunately for Klopp, Salah's strike partner, Sadio Mane, is in excellent form. Another former Saints star, the Senegal international has found the net five times in his last four games.
Mane's pace and perceptive movement will pose a considerable challenge to a Southampton back line that has improved in recent weeks. Hasenhuttl's team have conceded just once in wins over Spurs and the Seagulls.
The Saints' defence has been helped by the presence of combative midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as a screen in front. He scored the winner against Brighton, but he is unlikely to venture so far forward against a Liverpool side lethal on the break.
Southampton will instead rely on playmaker James Ward-Prowse and winger Nathan Redmond to carry the attacking load in the absence of ineligible Liverpool loanee Danny Ings.
Expect the Saints to keep this one close against a team feeling the pressure of the title race. Liverpool's class in forward areas will eventually prove decisive, though.
