Southampton vs Liverpool: Premier League Preview, Gameweek 38, 2023

Europa League bound Liverpool travel down to the south coast on Sunday afternoon to face already relegated Southampton in a game that means very little to both sides, with their final league positions already confirmed.

The south coast outfit come into this game sat firmly at the foot of the Premier League table, without a point in five games and without a win since their 1-0 defeat of Leicester City on March 4th. The Saints are coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Brighton last time out.

Jurgen Klopp's side head into this clash in 5th place and after Manchester United's 4-1 demolition of Chelsea on Thursday night, it was confirmed that Liverpool will finish in a Europa League spot for the first time in the German's tenure at the club. The Merseyside club were involved in a controversy-ridden 1-1 draw in their last game against Aston Villa.

The last time these two sides met was in the final Premier League game before the World Cup, where the Reds ran out 3-1 winners, thanks to a header from Roberto Firmino, which was cancelled out by Scottish international Che Adams before a brace from summer signing Darwin Nunez secured the three points.

Team News

Southampton

Manager Ruben Selles will be without Mohammed Salisu, Juan Larios, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Romain Perraud and their goalscorer in the reverse fixture in Adams. January signing Paul Onuachu is also a doubt with a back problem.

Tino Livramento is set to pick up some more minutes off the bench in this game, with his 20 minutes in their last game against Brighton being the young wing-back's first in over 390 days as he made a very emotional return from his major knee injury.

Liverpool

There are a number of doubts for the Merseyside club, with Andrew Robertson struggling with a groin problem and Ibrahima Konate recovering from an Illness, whilst Nunez returned to team training on Thursday, so may make a return to the matchday squad after missing the last two games with a toe injury. Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic are still unavailable as they recover from their long term injuries.

James Milner and Firmino could be in line for starts on what will be their final appearance for the club, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may make one final appearance for the club. A number of rotation players may also be given a chance to impress the manager. One player who looks set to start is Mohamed Salah, who is hoping to become the first player in Premier League history to record three separate campaigns with 20+ goals and 10+ assists with a goal on Sunday.

Likely Line-ups

Southampton

McCarthy; Bree, Bednarek, Lyanco, Walker-Peters, Ward-Prowse, Lavia, Walcott, Alcaraz, Sulemana, Aribo

Liverpool

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas, Fabinho, Milner, Jones, Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

Key Players

Romeo Lavia - Southampton

Regarded by most as the clubs player of the season, Romeo Lavia has been at the heart of everything that the Saints have done well this season.

At just 19 years old, Lavia has shown maturity and composure way beyond his years game in game out and has combined it with his fantastic technical ability and reading of the game to produce a very impressive individual season with highlights including Man of the Match performances against Chelsea and Arsenal that will most likely earn him a big move in the summer.

If Southampton are to end their season on a positive note, winning the midfield battle will be the key behind it, and Lavia is the Saints best chance at doing such a thing.

Romeo Lavia celebrates his debut goal against Chelsea in August (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)

Luis Diaz - Liverpool

Luis Diaz had a tough time in his last game against Aston Villa,, and has struggled to recapture the form he was showcasing before his injury against Arsenal, but this trip to the south coast may prove to be a better time for the Colombian international. It is looking like he will be matched up against full-back James Bree, who has only made 4 Premier League appearances in his career so far.

Diaz's trickery and skill can cause any opponent a whole load of problems, and now with the added threat of a more advanced Trent Alexander-Arnold playing in passes behind the defence, Diaz could well be the decisive factor for Klopp.