Match Pack: Saints vs Liverpool

THE MATCH

Saints vs Liverpool
Premier League
St Mary's Stadium
Sunday 24th November, 2pm GMT

THE OFFICIALS

Referee: Sam Barrott
Assistants: Lee Betts, Wade Smith
Fourth official: Darren England
VAR: Michael Oliver Assistant
VAR: Mat Wilkes

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Facing six teams in the top 10 between now and Christmas, Russell Martin's side start with the table-topping Liverpool at St Mary's.

The hosts will be buoyed by their last outing against Merseyside opposition in SO14, seeing off Everton earlier this month to pick a first league win of the season. The Reds will provide a different challenge however, currently sitting five points clear at the top prior to this weekend's action.

For Saints, back-to-back home wins would provide a significant boost heading into a challenging run of fixtures.

TEAM NEWS

The international break delivered two significant blows for Saints, with Aaron Ramsdale and Jan Bednarek ruled out for a “number of weeks”.

Ramsdale withdrew from the England squad to have an operation on a fractured finger picked up during the game against Wolves a fortnight ago, whilst Bednarek injured knee ligaments playing for Poland.

Kamaldeen Sulemana is available after illness with Ryan Fraser also back to full fitness.

THE MANAGERS

Russell Martin: "You can talk about the level of difficulty in opposition we face but this is what we have worked so hard for. I am excited to play the best team in the country at the moment.

"I love the intensity of the festive period and the schedule. It's a brilliant month to look forward to. Thank goodness the international breaks are done and we can build up some momentum."

Arne Slot: "It is not going to be easy, although everyone will say they are bottom of the league at the moment they do not play like this at all. They have made it very difficult for the teams who are in the top three, top four or top five. Their playstyle is very intriguing and they were a joy to watch.

"They have a very interesting and nice way of playing so it's going to be a very difficult one after the international break, which is always an interesting time."

TOP SCORERS

Southampton

Goals:
Cameron Archer 4
Taylor Harwood-Bellis 3
Adam Armstrong, James Bree 2

Assists:
Mateus Fernandes 3
Dibling, Lallana, Taylor 2
Sugawara, Walker-Peters, Kamaldeen 1

Adam Armstrong was the match-winner last time out at St Mary's (Photo: Chris Moorhouse)

Liverpool

Goals:
Mohamed Salah 10
Luis Díaz 9
Cody Gakpo 6

Assists:
Mohamed Salah 10
Curtis Jones 4
Dominik Szoboszlai 3

ONES TO WATCH

Mateus Fernandes: The Portuguese has grown in influence in the middle of the park for Saints and returns from international duty on a high.

Scoring for Portugal Under-21s last week, Fernandes will now be tasked with going toe-to-toe with Liverpool's playmakers for midfield dominance.

Mohamed Salah: An obvious pick for the visitors, but with 20 goal contributions already this season, the attacker is back to his best.

While speculation continues surrounding his long-term future, Salah has been the standout performer during Arne Slot's reign so far.

HEAD TO HEAD

Played: 119
Saints: 31
Draws: 26
Liverpool: 62

LAST FIVE MEETINGS

February 2024: Liverpool 3-0 Saints FA Cup
May 2023: Saints 4-4 Liverpool (Kamaldeen 2, Ward-Prowse, A Armstrong)
November 2022: Liverpool 3-1 Saints (Adams)
May 2022: Saints 1-2 Liverpool (Redmond)
November 2021: Liverpool 4-0 Saints

DID YOU KNOW?

Saints have only lost one of their last eight Premier League home games against sides starting the day top of the table (W2 D5), and are unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2 – including a 1-0 win over Liverpool in January 2021) since a 0-1 defeat to Manchester City in May 2018.

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