Preview: Southampton vs. Liverpool
Liverpool head to St. Mary’s to take on Southampton in the penultimate game of the 2021-22 Premier League season.
SOUTHAMPTON VS. LIVERPOOL
| Tuesday, May 17th |
Premier League | St. Mary’s
7:45PM GMT/2:45PM EST
Before the weekend, with Liverpool preparing for the FA Cup final and Manchester City three points ahead and with a solid goal differential advantage with two games to play, the Premier League title race seemed all but finished. Afterwards, as Liverpool celebrated beating Chelsea on penalties to win their second trophy of the 2021-22 season and City dropped points to West Ham, the race seemed teasingly, tantalizingly still on.
It remains a long-shot for Jürgen Klopp’s Reds, but a win on Tuesday will draw them to within a point of City with one game to play for each team and would mean that if they can better City’s result on the final day of the season—when Liverpool take on Wolves and City play Aston Villa—they would win their twentieth league title and third trophy of the season with a Champions League final date still to come. First, though, Southampton stand in their way.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Konaté, Tsimikas; Keïta, Milner, Elliott; Mané, Firmino, Jota
After going to extra time on the weekend, Liverpool will need some fresh faces in the starting eleven—and both Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah likely need a game off after being removed for precautionary reasons with minor knocks against Chelsea. Add in the fact that Andy Robertson was also clearly struggling towards the end and that nobody in European football has played more minutes this season than Luis Diaz, and you have at least four changes that seem essential. After Curtis Jones failed to impress when given a chance last week, it could also be time for Harvey Elliott to make his way back into the rotation.
For their part, Southampton should be well rested, having not played since the 7th. They’re also struggling for form having lost to Brentford, Crystal Palace, Burnley, and Chelsea in their last six games—with a draw against Brighton and a shock upset of Arsenal in the mix as well. They currently sit 15th, seemingly safe from the relegation battle, though there’s the slightest of chances they could still be caught on points and beaten on goal difference by current 17th place side Burnley.
What the Managers Had to Say
Jurgen Klopp: “As difficult as it is that obviously is the job to do and we have to see who is able to help. The 30 extra minutes made a big difference, but we have to see. If we can go into the last matchday one point behind [Manchester City] that is the perfect scenario.”
Ralph Hasenhüttl: “Man City lost four points against us in the title race. The first game against Liverpool we lost, so now it’s up to us to show we can be competitive. It’s our Champions League final, if you want, and we are going for this with everything we have.”
The Officials
Referee: Martin Atkinson Assistants: Constantine Hatzidakis, Richard West Fourth official: David Coote
Kickoff is set for 7:45PM GMT/2:45PM EST tomorrow. In the meantime, The Liverpool Offside team will keep you updated with all of the team news and match buildup as it becomes available, along with providing a matchday liveblog and post-match recaps and reaction. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account and have your say on the action as it happens.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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