Liverpool knows realistically only a win over Southampton will keep their chance of a quadruple alive as they head to St Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday.
Manchester City’s impressive second-half comeback against West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday means that any dropped points from Jürgen Klopp’s side in the final two games of the season would probably see the Premier League title stay on the blue side of Manchester.
Four points ahead of the Reds, a draw would see City lead Liverpool by three points going into the final day. However, their impressive goal difference would all but see them lift the title even if they fall to an unlikely defeat against Aston Villa.
With two trophies already in the bag, having secured the Carabao Cup and FA Cup via penalty shoot-out wins versus Chelsea, the Reds could still win two trophies in their last three games, facing Real Madrid in the final of the Champions League at the end of May.
As for the Saints, top-half hopes have dwindled in recent months, with one win in their last 10 league games dropping them from ninth to 15th.
Despite their disappointing end to the season, fleeting worries of relegation can now be forgotten, with Leeds United’s draw against Brighton & Hove Albion securing a tenth successive campaign in the top flight for Southampton.
Last time out
The last time the two sides met, it was Liverpool who won comprehensively. Meeting at Anfield at the end of November, two close-range finishes from Diogo Jota with just over half an hour gone put the game beyond the Saints, who could have equalised early on through Armando Broja.
Thiago Alcántara then added a fourth five minutes later, with former Southampton defender Virgil Van Dijk adding a fourth just over half-time to condemn the south coast side to their fifth consecutive defeat at Anfield.
However, the Saints did get the better of Liverpool the last time the two sides met at St Mary’s, with a cute looping effort from Danny Ings after just two minutes separating the teams.
Team news
Apart from Valentino Liveramento, who sustained an ACL injury against Brighton & Hove Albion in April, Southampton come into the game with a full squad to choose from.
Torn apart playing 3-4-3 earlier in the season, Hasenhüttl could revert to his infamous 4-2-2-2 formation system that edged out their upcoming opponents at the start of 2021.
As for Liverpool, both Mohamed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk were forced off against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, but are likely to be fit enough to play against the Saints.
With the Champions League final against Real Madrid on the horizon, Klopp may choose to rest his star men and trust his squad depth, with Jota and Joel Matip coming in as their replacement.
Predicted line-ups
Southampton (4-2-2-2): Forster; Perraud, Bednarek, Salisu, Walker-Peters; Romeu, Ward-Prowse; Redmond, S. Armstrong; Adams, Broja
Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Robertson, Matip, Konaté, Alexander-Arnold; Thiago, Henderson, Milner; Díaz, Jota, Mane
How to watch
Tomorrow’s match will be available to watch on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting at 7.00 pm, and the match kicking off at 7.45 pm.
