Another international break has come to an end. This weekend Southampton are set to face league leaders Liverpool at St. Mary’s.
Before the break, Southampton fell to Hull City 2-1 away from home. Southampton dominated the match in possession and shots on target but failed to extend their lead when they had it. Charlie Austin had scored the spot early but the Saints ultimately fell to two quick goals in the second half.
Last time out. Liverpool smashed Watford 6-1 at Anfield. Former Saints forward Sadio Mané had a brace against Watford and has found the back of the net six times for Liverpool in the league thus far. Liverpool have only lost once this season and lead the league with 30 goals scored through 11 matches.
Liverpool have had no issues scoring goals this season and the Saints back line and defensive midfielder Oriol Romeu will need to be at the top of their game in order to slow Liverpool down. Besides Mané, former Saint Adam Lallana is another threat for Liverpool going forward but he is a doubt for this match after picking up a knock over the international break.
In the league last year, Southampton beat Liverpool 3-2 at home in March after drawing the away match 1-1 in October.
Saints’ boss Claude Puel, who is still frustrated after the Hull loss, knows that facing Liverpool will not be an easy task.
"“It’s always special to play against Liverpool, but it’s important also to continue our work and to take points on the table, because we need points,” Puel said. “We need to take confidence not just to play good football, but to get a good result.”"
Looking at this match, I feel that Southampton will look very strong at the back once again but Liverpool will likely put too much pressure on the Saints and find a way to notch a few goals.
Lassner’s Pick: Southampton 1-3 Liverpool
Next: Southampton Look to Rebound vs League Leaders Liverpool
Match Info:
Date: Saturday, November 19
Kick Off: 10:00 a.m. ET
Location: Southampton, England
Stadium: St. Mary’s Stadium
TV Info: NBC Sports Network
Live Stream: NBC Sports