Game Week 28 Predictions: Liverpool to hammer Saints

Liverpool looks to extend their title lead against struggling Southampton. With PSG ahead, rotation is likely, but the Reds remain heavy favorites

Liverpool is marching on to their second title in five years, can Southampton stop them? (Photo credit: GOAL)

 Liverpool vs Southampton

Anfield

4:00 pm

Liverpool’s title procession is very well on course and they’re more than guaranteed to go sixteen points clear of Arsenal with Southampton not expected to near their garment on Saturday.

No disrespect to the Saints, but Liverpool could well rest some legs ahead of the second leg encounter against PSG in the Champions League in midweek and still have enough to dispatch Southampton like they’re not there at all.

The Saints have been poor all season; you can point to many things, but they never at any point looked like a Premier League side, and just as we had last season, the three newly promoted teams are almost certain to return to the Championship League.

Southampton has lost their last four and only managed to score once in that sequence, which was the solitary goal they managed at home in their 3-1 loss to Bournemouth. It feels like they’re now counting days and only showing up to fulfil match-day rituals.

Liverpool laboured to a win in midweek in the Champions League; you look back at that game and you wonder how PSG didn’t leave the pitch as winners, but Alisson Becker stood firm, making ten huge saves to deny the hosts and should get a rest against the Saints.

Arne Slot will serve the first of his two-match bans on Saturday against Southampton, and he is expected to rest some legs with PSG in midweek in mind. If they show up the way they did at Parc des Princes on Tuesday, they will be shocked, and Alison won’t be able to save them again.

Adam Lallana, Jan Bednarek, and Kyle Walker-Peters will all miss this trip to Anfield due to various degrees of injuries, but the Saints will be able to call on Tyler Dibling, who has shaken off his thigh injury, to be available for this one.

Southampton gave a good fight in the reverse fixture, losing 3-2 despite leading 2-1 at some points in the game with the spotlight on Alex McCarthy in goal on the day. Aaron Ramsdale is available for this one; he will look to stop the Reds, but how far can he go with that?

Liverpool is expected to rest a few players; Mohammed Salah and Virgil Van Dijk could be rested for this one while Alisson could give way to Caoimhín Kelleher. Whoever is selected should be able to do a great job; it is Liverpool’s to lose.

Verdict: Straight win Liverpool.