TEAM NEWS
Dejan Lovren is nearing full fitness after a pelvis injury but will not feature, while Divock Origi, Dominic Solanke and Adam Lallana are also out. Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino is fully recovered from the eye problem which led to him starting on the bench in the midweek Champions League win.
Southampton must do without on-loan top scorer Danny Ings, who is ineligible to play against his parent club. Fellow forward Manolo Gabbiadini faces a fitness test on a hamstring injury.
MOTD COMMENTATOR’S NOTES
@SteveBowerComm: With Liverpool winning six from six in all competitions to start the season and putting another memorable Anfield European night in the memory bank, Southampton must hope the Reds have a ‘below par’ day looming, or that the excursions of that late midweek win against PSG could take their toll.
Jurgen Klopp’s team are unbeaten in 23 league matches at home, and for Southampton to get anywhere close to upsetting the odds they will have to be on top of their game, having thrown away three points on Monday night against Brighton.
Their task is a sterner one without Danny Ings, who has scored half of their league goals so far.
VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: “Southampton will come here with a match plan and we’ll have to find a solution.
“Are we ready to create the best atmosphere of all games? That would be cool. We need to show Southampton how difficult it is to come to Anfield.”
Southampton manager Mark Hughes: “We are on a decent run in terms of confidence. Monday night [when Saints let slip a 2-0 lead] was a disappointment, but if we had been poor then we would have more concern.
“It’s a game that going to test us because the team we are facing looks on top of their form in terms of individuals and the collective functioning really well.”
LAWRO’S PREDICTION
After having Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in town in midweek, this game might not have the same glamour about it for Liverpool, but it is still one they need to win and Jurgen Klopp will not accept any drop in effort.
The Reds are on a real high at the moment and I think they will make it six wins out of six in the Premier League.
Prediction: 3-0
