Southampton and Liverpool will return to Premier League action this weekend at St Mary’s, with both teams currently competing at the opposite ends of the table.
The Saints claimed their first win of the season against Everton before the international break but then fell to defeat against Wolves last time out to halt their momentum, while Arne Slot’s side continued their excellent form with a dominant 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield.
Both teams come into the game with injury concerns and the managers have some decisions to make, so this is how GIVEMESPORT expect the sides to lineup for the game.
Southampton Team News
Ramsdale set for spell on the sidelines
The Saints spent big in the summer to bring Aaron Ramsdale in from Arsenal in a £25million deal, but the England international is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a dislocated finger before the break. Jan Bednarek is also set to be sidelined after picking up a knee injury on international duty, but he should return several weeks before the goalkeeper.
£22m forward Kamaldeen Sulemana and Ryan Fraser are back fit and available once more, but the rest of the injury issues at the club remain unchanged.
|
Southampton Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Aaron Ramsdale |
Finger |
22/12/2024 |
|
Jan Bednarek |
Knee |
07/12/2024 |
|
Will Smallbone |
Hamstring |
04/12/2024 |
|
Ross Stewart |
Calf |
04/12/2024 |
|
Flynn Downes |
Hip |
24/11/2024 |
|
Gavin Bazunu |
Achilles |
01/02/2025 |
Martin Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Martin shared an update on the status of his squad.
“They’ll both be out for this weekend and a number of weeks. Aaron [Ramsdale] has had an operation on his finger, he’ll hopefully be back this side of Christmas.
“Janny B, we spoke really quickly after the game. He was really worried about his knee injury. Thankfully the injury is not as significant as we fear, hopefully a week or two before Aaron.
“They’ve been two of our best players all season. Of course it will affect the team and how it looks but others need to step in and take their opportunity.
“Ryan Fraser and Kamaldeen [Sulemana] are back properly now. Everything else is pretty much the same.”
Southampton Predicted XI
McCarthy returns in goal
- Southampton Predicted XI: McCarthy; Sugawara, Stephens, Harwood-Bellis, Walker-Peters; Downes, Lallana, Fernandes; Armstrong, Archer, Fraser.
- Southampton Predicted Substitutes: Lumley (GK), Wood (DEF), Manning (DEF), Bree (DEF), Ugochukwu (MID), Aribo (MID), Dibling (FWD), Sulemana (FWD), Onuachu (FWD).
With Ramsdale sidelined it’s a chance for veteran goalkeeper Alex McCarthy to return to the starting lineup, but with Bednarek out Martin is likely to move back to a back four system in his absence. That should allow for Flynn Downes to return in midfield, while Ryan Fraser could come in on the wing after being declared fit once more.
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Liverpool Team News
Alexander-Arnold and Alisson still out
Arne Slot has been dealt a blow with the news that Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota are still unavailable following the international break with injuries suffered prior. Federico Chiesa also continues to recover from a problem, with the Italian having only played 78 minutes so far this season, but Harvey Elliott has returned to training following a broken foot he picked up in pre-season.
|
Liverpool Injuries and Suspensions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Player |
Injury |
Potential Return Date |
|
Federico Chiesa |
Other |
04/12/2024 |
|
Trent Alexander-Arnold |
Hamstring |
01/12/2024 |
|
Alisson Becker |
Hamstring |
04/12/2024 |
|
Diogo Jota |
Ribs |
04/12/2024 |
|
Harvey Elliott |
Foot |
04/12/2024 |
Slot Drops Team News Update
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Slot has shared a fresh update on the status of his squad.
“Virgil is completely OK. Harvey [Elliott] is training with us again so that’s the positive thing, he has been out for many weeks but he is on the training ground again with the team. So, that’s a positive thing for him.
“[Alisson] is back in training with the goalkeeper coach. He is not training with the team yet, but that is expected to be done soon, and then let’s wait and see where he is in terms of match fitness. But he is getting better and better, but not ready to play [on] Sunday.
“Trent isn’t training with us yet, but he is getting there so we expect him to be back with us soon. Jota is still apart from the group, same as Federico, who is coming back into the session maybe in one exercise today.
“They are all expected to be back within now and a few weeks, but the last part of the recovery is always the most difficult one. So, let’s wait and see.”
Liverpool Predicted XI
Bradley to start at right-back
- Liverpool Predicted XI: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Nunez.
- Liverpool Predicted Substitutes: Jaros (GK), Gomez (DEF), Tsimikas (DEF), Quansah (DEF), Endo (MID), Mac Allister (MID), Morton (MID), Diaz (FWD), Nyoni (FWD).
With Alexander-Arnold ruled out, Slot is likely to hand young Bradley a chance at right-back ahead of Joe Gomez, while Andy Robertson should return to the side ahead of Kostas Tsimikas at left-back. With Real Madrid travelling to Anfield in midweek in the Champions League there will also be an eye on that, so the £104m South Americans may get a rest meaning Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz start on the bench.
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