It’s top versus bottom, as Southampton meet Liverpool at St Mary’s.
After securing their first Premier League win of the season earlier this month against Everton, Southampton were brought back down to earth with a bump when losing 2-0 away to relegation rivals Wolves a fortnight ago.
That bruising setback saw Russell Martin’s men drop back to the foot of the top-flight standings.
The Saints now face the daunting prospect of welcoming Liverpool to their south coast base on Sunday afternoon.
The Reds raced into a five point lead at the top of the Premier League table thanks to a 2-0 win over Aston Villa before the international break.
That latest victory reinforced the notion that Arne Slot’s side are the real deal in this season’s Premier League title race, and they will be expected to bank another three points at the expense of basement boys Southampton on Sunday.
Liverpool have held the upper hand in this fixture in recent years, having triumphed in 11 of the last 13 meetings between the pair across all competitions.
Southampton last tasted victory in this fixture back in 2021, with Danny Ings’ goal proving decisive in a 1-0 success.
Coupling up a Liverpool win alongside Mohamed Salah to either score or assist will bring about an appealing 9/10 Bet Builder on UniBet. This combination has clicked in eight of Liverpool’s nine Premier League wins this season so far.
One of the few shining lights for Southampton this season has been the emergence of Tyler Dibling. The Saints teenage star is as big as 9/1 (UniBet) to land a blow on Liverpool’s defence on Sunday.
Predicted line-ups
Southampton goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is set to undergo surgery for a fractured finger and will therefore almost certainly miss out against Liverpool on Sunday, with Alex McCarthy set to deputise.
Liverpool are again expected to be without the services of injured trio Alisson, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott for Sunday’s trip to St Mary’s.
Southampton: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Manning, Sugawara; Dibling, Lallana, Aribo, Fernandes; Archer.
Liverpool: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Diaz.
