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Match Preview
With Premier League games coming thick and fast, both Liverpool and Southampton will be relatively fresh as both teams enjoyed a full week’s rest.
This year’s title race looks likely to go down to the wire as both Manchester City and Liverpool show no signs of letting up. After City’s convincing win over Cardiff midweek, the onus is now on Jurgen Klopp's men to continue marching. With the Citizens not playing this week due to their FA Cup commitments, the Reds can go 2 points clear at the top, albeit having played a game more.
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On the other hand, Southampton steered 5 points clear off the relegation zone after the 1-0 away win at Brighton last weekend. The Saints have been in decent form since Ralph Hasenhuttl took over from Mark Hughes in December. With three wins in their last five games, the Saints will be no pushovers on Friday night.
On paper, Klopp and his men should win easily but with six games left, the pressure is inevitably mounting on the Reds. Every game seems like a cup final and a victory on Friday night will ease the tension a little.
On that note, let's take a look at the team news and the predicted XIs of both sides.
Team News
Southampton
Although center back Jannik Vestergaard sat out the game against Brighton last weekend with a groin strain, the Dane is back in training but Hasenhuttl might not risk the defender on Friday night.
A major blow for the Saints will be the absence of their top scorer Danny Ings, who is on loan from Liverpool and therefore will be ineligible to play against his parent club. Shane Long is expected to take Ings’ place in the team.
Apart from the duo, midfielder Mario Lemina and youngster Michael Obafemi remain long term absentees, having been out of action for 3 months and one month respectively.
The Austrian boss is expected to keep faith with the team that emerged victorious a week ago, with the only exception being Danny Ings.
Liverpool
Liverpool do not have any fresh injury concerns. The young English duo of Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain have returned from long-term injuries but they are still not match fit to make the squad.
Dejan Lovren is back fit after a cameo against Spurs last weekend and should take his place on the bench for the game against his old club. The likes of Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri should be fit enough to make the matchday squad.
The exhilarating front three will remain the same. In midfield, Fabinho should slot back into the side after a game-changing cameo from the bench against Spurs. Any two of Henderson/Milner or Wijnaldum could stake a claim for the starting spots on Friday, with a possible surprise inclusion of Adam Lallana.
Predicted XIs
Southampton (4-4-2) – Gunn, Valery, Bednarek, Yoshida, Bertrand; Romeu, Hojbjerg, Armstrong, Ward-Prowse; Redmond, Shane Long.
Liverpool (4-3-3) – Alisson, Alexander Arnold, Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum; Mane, Firmino, Salah.
