Now the international break is over and done with, with the next one not coming until March, the attention is back on domestic football with Southampton hosting table-topping Liverpool at St Mary’s.
After an impressive unbeaten spell which saw Saints keep six consecutive clean sheets, Claude Puel’s side have faltered of late, with the memorable win against Inter Milan sandwiched between back-to-back Premier League defeats which included a 2-1 reverse at struggling Hull City last time out.
As for visitors Liverpool, they sit top of the table and are looking very impressive under the management of the energetic Jurgen Klopp. Since a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Burnley in August, The Reds have gone 12 games unbeaten in all competitions, including a 6-1 win over Watford at Anfield last time out.
The game will mark the return to St Mary’s of Senegalese international Sadio Mane, who enjoyed a fantastic two-year spell on the South Coast which saw him pick up the record for fastest ever Premier League hat-trick, with his three goals in the 6-1 win over Aston Villa coming in all of two minutes and fifty-six seconds.
In terms of team news, Saints duo Fraser Forster and Dusan Tadic have both been declared fit to play after suffering injuries while away on international duty with England and Serbia respectively. However, Saints fans will be sweating on the late fitness tests of Ryan Bertrand, Cedric Soares, James Ward-Prowse and Shane Long. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will be fit to play after picking up a knock while away with Denmark, but Alex McCarthy and Matt Targett will miss out through injury.
As for Liverpool, Adam Lallana will miss out on a return to his former club after picking up a groin strain in England’s 2-2 draw with Spain. Playmaker Philippe Coutinho is also a doubt after picking up a knock on international duty with Brazil. Georginio Wijnaldum, however, is set to return for the visitors.
I now take a look back at the last four games between the two sides.
