Saints face Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd in run-in
Tuesday 25 April 2017 10:59, UK
There's one team in the Premier League who could have the greatest say in how the top four shapes up at the end of the season - and that's ninth-placed Southampton.
The Saints travel to Liverpool in May before entertaining Arsenal and Manchester United at St Mary's, with all three sides vying for the top four alongside Manchester City.
And they may yet weigh in on the title race when facing league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night - live on Sky Sports 1 HD.
In the hunt for a Champions League spot, Liverpool currently occupy third with 66 points, but have played two games more than Manchester City (64) and Manchester United (63).
If both Manchester clubs can win their matches in hand then Liverpool would drop out of the top four, while Arsenal (57 points) can close the gap having played three games fewer than the Merseyside club.
Southampton suffered Capital One Cup final agony against United back in February, and are now playing for little more than pride in the league as the season draws to a close.
With seven games left, Claude Puel's side are in a personal battle for eighth with West Brom, but face four of the top seven sides in their run-in.
First up for Southampton are Chelsea. An upset at the Bridge could help Tottenham close the gap even further when they play Crystal Palace in Wednesday's live Sky Sports match at Selhurst Park.
Southampton then have a May 7 date with Liverpool at Anfield on Nissan Super Sunday before hosting Arsenal three days later - and one week after that, United head to St Mary's for another midweek clash, live on Sky Sports 1 HD.
Liverpool have failed to beat Southampton on the last four occasions, most recently losing both Capital One Cup semi-final legs 1-0 in January. Their matches at Anfield have always been tight affairs, with the Reds last winning by a two-goal advantage in 2002.
Meanwhile, Southampton are unbeaten in their last five league games at St Mary's against Arsenal (W2 D3), but did suffer a heavy 5-0 defeat to the Gunners in the FA Cup earlier this year.
United - who could still seal a Champions League spot with Europa League glory - have a far greater record at Southampton, and are unbeaten in their last eight trips there (W7 D1) despite losing twice to the Saints at Old Trafford in the last four encounters.
But records and history only count for so much. With the top-four race taking a new twist every week, it has become impossible to predict. The Saints will undoubtedly have a say, but only time will tell us of the exact impact they have.
