Southampton will be desperate to bounce back from their appalling start to the new Premier League season when they welcome Liverpool to St Mary’s on Saturday.
Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side were well beaten 3-0 by Burnley last weekend, with defensive frailties proving costly once again as an Ashley Barnes double and a Johann Berg Gudmundsson finish settled the score.
Saints face Liverpool in their first home game of the new campaign, where they will be hoping to take advantage of the fact the Reds had to play 90 minutes plus extra-time and penalties in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday evening against Chelsea in Turkey.
Having had a full week to recover and prepare, Saints should feel ready for this game and determined to set things straight.
Liverpool have also had some injury worries to deal with as of late. After Allison suffered an injury against Burnley, Adrian has been cast into doubt after being injured by a fan following their Super Cup victory.
This could pave the way for third-choice 35-year-old Andy Lonergan to come into the side to face Saints.
Regardless of this, Liverpool will still prove to be stern opposition having shown their superiority in Europe and in the league last season.
Southampton will need to be at their very best to get any sort of result in the game, but in which areas could the game be won or lost? Here are the key battles.
