Liverpool
Image Credits: Liverpool FC
After a stressful European trip to Paris in midweek, Liverpool turn their attention to the Premier League where they host bottom-of-the-table Southampton.
The Reds endured a difficult evening in the Champions League on Wednesday. They were outplayed by PSG and only escaped with a lucky win courtesy of their firstshot on target.
Their next opponents, Southampton, are likely to offer less attacking threat than PSG, considering that the Premier League side own both the league’s worst attack. They have scored a paltry 19 goals this season, less than Mohamed Salah alone has managed.
Meanwhile, they also are likely to offer less resistance given that they are also the league’s worst side defensively, having conceded 65 goals this term.
Liverpool themselves have scored 66 goals in the league this term, which is by far the most in the league. The manner in which they have dispatched teams leaves little doubt about their ability to seal the title this term, as they have scored 2+ goals in 25 of their 28 Premier League games under Slot.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Slot hinted at heavily rotating his Liverpool team for the game against Southampton.
He said: “If there was three, four, five days in between the last game and this one I would have probably started the same 11 again, even if there was only two days in between for the next one.
“Since there are only two days in between and we had to fight really hard, and it’s not the first game after being out for three or four weeks, it’s probably the 50th game in three months – I don’t know how many.
“You take that into account, but you take the quality from the team you face; you take the form of the players, how fit they are, which players fit best together.”
Despite hinting at possible rotations, the Liverpool coach did clarify that he would field a team he feels will help win the game.
“For me, the one against Southampton is by far the most important, not only because it’s the first one we play, but it is a very important one for us.
“If I make the choice to play other players that is because I think that’s the biggest chance to win the game tomorrow and not because I want to rest them for the game against PSG.”
Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo could be unavailable for the game, having not fully recovered from a minor injury. But Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, and Tyler Morton are confirmed absentees, while Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff will not be on the touchline for this game as they complete their FA ban.
Considering this, here’s our predicted XI to face Southampton tomorrow.
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Elliot, Salah, Diaz, Jota.
Read more: Virgil van Dijk makes honest Southampton claim
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