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Fresh off their remarkable Carabao Cup triumph, Liverpool are in domestic cup action again in midweek as they host Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round.
The first step to completing the perfect goodbye was conquered by Jurgen Klopp’s kids on Sunday as a youthful Reds downed Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final late in extra-time.
Liverpool harbour hopes of Premier League and Europa League success in Klopp’s final season at the helm, and they sit among the favourites to win their second FA Cup under the German.
They take on a Southampton side with a quarter-final place at stake. The Saints have impressed under Russell Martin in the Championship this season and should at least secure a play-off place, but their chances of securing an automatic promotion spot has been hindered by back-to-back home defeats.
Here’s 90min’s preview of Wednesday’s cup tie at Anfield.
Liverpool | Southampton |
|---|---|
Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool – 25/02/24 | Southampton 1-2 Millwall – 24/02/24 |
Liverpool 4-1 Luton Town – 21/02/24 | Southampton 1-2 Hull City – 20/02/24 |
Brentford 1-4 Liverpool – 17/02/24 | West Brom 0-2 Southampton – 16/02/24 |
Liverpool 3-1 Burnley – 10/02/24 | Bristol City 3-1 Southampton – 13/02/24 |
Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool – 04/02/24 | Southampton 5-3 Huddersfield – 10/02/24 |
Country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | ITVX, ITV 1 UK, STV Scotland |
United States | ESPN+ |
Canada | Sportsnet Now Plus, Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet Now, Sportsnet World |
Well, where do we start?
Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Dominik Szoboszlai were all absent for Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, with the trio remaining on the sidelines alongside the likes of Alisson, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Diogo Jota.
Joel Matip is out for the rest of the season, with Ryan Gravenberch picking up a nasty-looking ankle injury at Wembley. Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara are still absent.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Southampton (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Konate, Robertson; Endo, Mac Allister, Clark; Elliott, Gakpo, Diaz.
The visitors have no fresh injury concerns heading into Wednesday’s game.
Russell Martin will once again be without Ross Stewart and Juan Barrios, both of whom have barely featued this season. The pair could return next month.
Southampton predicted lineup vs Liverpool (4-3-3): Bazunu; Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Bednarek, Walker-Peters; Aribo, Smallbone, S. Armstrong; Brooks, A. Armstrong, Edozie.
The Saints have rediscovered a spring in the second tier this term, but they head into this cup – and daunting visit to Anfield – amid a blip.
Overcoming the Reds in Merseyside is always a tough ask, and even if the hosts are without a litany of stars again in midweek, they’ll be galvanised by Sunday’s cup victory. Southampton will give it a good go, but it’s hard to envisage anything but a home win.
