Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot eye history as Premier League leaders Liverpool take on Southampton – predicted line-ups and how to follow

Liverpool will be aiming to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League table this weekend when they travel to face Southampton. The Reds are sitting five points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the top-flight and life under Arne Slot could hardly have started any better. Liverpool continued their winning form against Villa before the breakGetty A 2-0 win over Aston Villa before the international break enabled them to take advantage of all four teams below them dropping crucial points. They have been virtually unstoppable this season, scoring 21 goals and only conceding six in their opening 11 league fixtures. So that means it will be an incredibly hard task for bottom-of-the-table Southampton to pick up just their second victory of the campaign on Sunday. Southampton vs Liverpool: Eyeing records Mohamed Salah and Slot are both closing in on some Premier League history. Having won nine of his opening 11 matches in charge, the Liverpool boss is set to equal the achievements of Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti. If the Reds win again, Slot will have reached 10 wins in the top-flight in the joint-fastest time along with Hiddink and Ancelotti who both did so in 12 games for Chelsea. The Dutchman has settled into his new club seamlessly and Salah has continued to thrive under his latest manager. He is in such great form that it’s likely he could match the record for scoring and assisting in the same game. The Egyptian king has found the net and provided the assist for a goal in the same match 35 times, with Wayne Rooney doing it in 36. So another dominant performance for Liverpool could well lead to their manager and star player joining some iconic names in the history books. Slot has made a superb start to life at LiverpoolGetty Southampton have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool (D3 L10), a 1-0 home victory in January 2021. Liverpool’s last Premier League game against Southampton was a 4-4 away draw in May 2023 – they conceded as many goals in that game as they had in their previous six visits to St Mary’s combined. Southampton vs Liverpool: Predicted line-ups Southampton have been dealt a double injury blow as goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and defender Jan Bednarek are sidelined. The pair are confirmed to be out for multiple weeks, so Alex McCarthy will be on goal for the Saints and Kyle Walker-Peters could move into centre-back. England’s new goalscorer Taylor Harwood-Bellis is set to be joined by Jack Stephens and Walker-Peters, with Ryan Manning on the left and Yukinari Sugawara on the right. In midfield, Mateus Fernandes, Joe Aribo, and Adam Armstrong could keep their place while Flynn Downes should be back to take up a central role. Cameron Archer will lead the line as he continues to keep Ben Brereton Diaz and Paul Onuachu out of the team. Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu could also feature while Tyler Dibling may be drafted in at wing-back or as a more attacking presence. As for Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold withdrew from the England squad through injury but should be back available for this game. He’ll play at right-back next to Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, while Andy Robertson competes for his place with Kostas Tsimikas on the left. In goal, Caoimhin Kelleher will retain his place with Alisson still out injured. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister are going to continue their partnership in midfield unless the latter can’t recover from a small problem suffered with Argentina. They will be joined by the in-form Curtis Jones, with Luis Diaz and Salah on the flanks behind Darwin Nunez. Nunez is benefiting from Diogo Jota being out injured and Diaz will be hoping that he can keep Cody Gakpo on the bench. Southampton are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season (7), while only Crystal Palace (5.1%) have a lower shot conversion rate than Saints (6.2%). Just 30.1% of Southampton’s shots have been on target this term (34/113), a league-low ratio. Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 67% of Liverpool’s Premier League goals this season (14/21 – 8 goals, 6 assists), the highest ratio by a player for any side in the division in 2024-25. Indeed, only Matt Le Tissier for Southampton in 1993-94 (69% – 34/49) has scored or assisted a higher proportion of a side’s goals in a single season in the competition. Southampton vs Liverpool: What has been said? Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney came under fire for his recent claims that Liverpool star Salah isn’t a world-class player. One of those to disagree with his comments was ex-Newcastle and West Ham manager Alan Pardew who told talkSPORT: “Yes. Numbers. If you look at his numbers, you’d have to say he is. “And, you know, when you look at the international team that he’s playing for, unfortunately, a little bit like Ian Rush when he was at

BradPitt

Nov 22, 2024 - 04:17

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Mohamed Salah and Arne Slot eye history as Premier League leaders Liverpool take on Southampton – predicted line-ups and how to follow

Liverpool will be aiming to maintain their place at the top of the Premier League table this weekend when they travel to face Southampton.

The Reds are sitting five points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the top-flight and life under Arne Slot could hardly have started any better.

Liverpool continued their winning form against Villa before the break

A 2-0 win over Aston Villa before the international break enabled them to take advantage of all four teams below them dropping crucial points.

They have been virtually unstoppable this season, scoring 21 goals and only conceding six in their opening 11 league fixtures.

So that means it will be an incredibly hard task for bottom-of-the-table Southampton to pick up just their second victory of the campaign on Sunday.

Southampton vs Liverpool: Eyeing records

Mohamed Salah and Slot are both closing in on some Premier League history.

Having won nine of his opening 11 matches in charge, the Liverpool boss is set to equal the achievements of Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti.

If the Reds win again, Slot will have reached 10 wins in the top-flight in the joint-fastest time along with Hiddink and Ancelotti who both did so in 12 games for Chelsea.

The Dutchman has settled into his new club seamlessly and Salah has continued to thrive under his latest manager.

He is in such great form that it’s likely he could match the record for scoring and assisting in the same game.

The Egyptian king has found the net and provided the assist for a goal in the same match 35 times, with Wayne Rooney doing it in 36.

So another dominant performance for Liverpool could well lead to their manager and star player joining some iconic names in the history books.

Slot has made a superb start to life at Liverpool

Southampton have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool (D3 L10), a 1-0 home victory in January 2021.
Liverpool’s last Premier League game against Southampton was a 4-4 away draw in May 2023 – they conceded as many goals in that game as they had in their previous six visits to St Mary’s combined.

Southampton vs Liverpool: Predicted line-ups

Southampton have been dealt a double injury blow as goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and defender Jan Bednarek are sidelined.

The pair are confirmed to be out for multiple weeks, so Alex McCarthy will be on goal for the Saints and Kyle Walker-Peters could move into centre-back.

England’s new goalscorer Taylor Harwood-Bellis is set to be joined by Jack Stephens and Walker-Peters, with Ryan Manning on the left and Yukinari Sugawara on the right.

In midfield, Mateus Fernandes, Joe Aribo, and Adam Armstrong could keep their place while Flynn Downes should be back to take up a central role.

Cameron Archer will lead the line as he continues to keep Ben Brereton Diaz and Paul Onuachu out of the team.

Chelsea loanee Lesley Ugochukwu could also feature while Tyler Dibling may be drafted in at wing-back or as a more attacking presence.

As for Liverpool, Trent Alexander-Arnold withdrew from the England squad through injury but should be back available for this game.

He’ll play at right-back next to Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk, while Andy Robertson competes for his place with Kostas Tsimikas on the left.

In goal, Caoimhin Kelleher will retain his place with Alisson still out injured.

Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister are going to continue their partnership in midfield unless the latter can’t recover from a small problem suffered with Argentina.

They will be joined by the in-form Curtis Jones, with Luis Diaz and Salah on the flanks behind Darwin Nunez.

Nunez is benefiting from Diogo Jota being out injured and Diaz will be hoping that he can keep Cody Gakpo on the bench.

Southampton are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season (7), while only Crystal Palace (5.1%) have a lower shot conversion rate than Saints (6.2%). Just 30.1% of Southampton’s shots have been on target this term (34/113), a league-low ratio.
Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 67% of Liverpool’s Premier League goals this season (14/21 – 8 goals, 6 assists), the highest ratio by a player for any side in the division in 2024-25. Indeed, only Matt Le Tissier for Southampton in 1993-94 (69% – 34/49) has scored or assisted a higher proportion of a side’s goals in a single season in the competition.

Southampton vs Liverpool: What has been said?

Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney came under fire for his recent claims that Liverpool star Salah isn’t a world-class player.

One of those to disagree with his comments was ex-Newcastle and West Ham manager Alan Pardew who told talkSPORT: “Yes. Numbers. If you look at his numbers, you’d have to say he is.

“And, you know, when you look at the international team that he’s playing for, unfortunately, a little bit like Ian Rush when he was at Wales, hasn’t really got the platform to do it at world level with his country.

“You know, it’s all good having an opinion, but if you’re going to have an opinion, back it up with some stats or some facts or some kind of foundation.

“And I don’t know where Troy’s coming from with a foundation, because Vinicius, obviously, got more tricks and is a little bit more flamboyant.

“Maybe that’s what he was aiming his conversation at more than Mo. Mo is no frills.

“There’s no frills. It’s efficiency that he’s about.”

Only Manchester City are averaging more passes/game (642) and a higher passing accuracy (91%) than Southampton (543, 89%) in the Premier League this season. However, just 22% of the Saints’ passes have ended in the final 1/3, a league-low ratio.
This will be the first Premier League match between the side starting the day bottom of the table and the side starting the day top since April 2023, and Southampton’s 3-3 draw away to Arsenal. League leaders are unbeaten in 14 such matches (W12 D2) since Wolves won 2-1 against Manchester United in February 2011.