Southampton vs Liverpool. Premier League.
St. Mary's StadiumAttendance31,915.
Sunday 11 February 2018 15:02, UK
Virgil van Dijk returns to Southampton for the first time since his £75m move to Liverpool when the sides meet on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
If the Saints fail to win, Mauricio Pellegrino's side will equal a club record of seven home Premier League games without victory.
Pellegrino made 13 appearances for the Reds under Rafa Benitez in 2005, before serving as his assistant at Anfield between 2008-2010.
The Saints' win at West Brom last week was their first in 13 Premier League games and they could give record-signing Guido Carrillo his first home start for the visit of Liverpool.
Van Dijk is the latest of six players to move from St Mary's to Anfield since June 2014, for a combined total of £172.5 million, but his arrival has coincided with a spate of late goals conceded by the Merseysiders.
Harry Kane's 95th-minute penalty in a 2-2 draw with Spurs last Sunday was the fifth they had shipped from the 80th minute onwards since January 1, more than any other team in the Premier League.
Things are going better for the Reds at the other end of the pitch, and they are the top scorers away from home of any club in the top five European leagues this season, with 32 from 13 games.
Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino reported no fresh injury problems ahead of Sunday's Premier League match against Liverpool.
Striker Manolo Gabbiadini had been carrying a hip problem last weekend against West Brom, where the Italian was an unused substitute in the 3-2 away win.
Charlie Austin, though, remains out as the forward continues to recover from a hamstring injury.
Defenders Ragnar Klavan and Alberto Moreno have recovered from muscle injuries to take their places in the squad.
Right-back Joe Gomez is unlikely to feature because of a minor knee problem while midfielder Adam Lallana returns after a thigh problem.
I was a bit disappointed with Liverpool last weekend, they were given the runaround in the second half by Spurs and didn't know what to do. In big matches, they generally turn up, and I haven't seen too many teams do that to them.
With Southampton, it's down to results earlier in the weekend. Depending on what happens they might be able to stick 10 behind the ball and go for a 0-0, and it might be a bonus. They had a massive result at West Brom last week. I think Liverpool will win, but it could easily be 1-1.
Southampton are nowhere near the worst team, but they could have won more easily - I think they set up too negatively at home when they have got the players to have a go. They could upset a few teams if the reins were off.
PAUL PREDICTS: 1-2 (15/2 with SkyBet)
Liverpool are marginally odds-on for the victory at 4/5 with Sky Bet, with Southampton priced at 16/5 while the draw is a 14/5 chance. Mohamed Salah heads the first goalscorer betting at 7/2 while Guido Carrillo joins Manolo Gabbiadini in leading the visitors' side of the market at 13/2 apiece.
There's £50,000 up for grabs in Super Sunday's late game with Southampton v Liverpool making up the Sky Sports Fantasy Six-a-Side fixture.
