Man City made its move, and now Liverpool must match as the Reds hope to keep their Premier League title hopes alive with the season’s penultimate match against Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium on Tuesday.
Liverpool, four points back in the Premier League title race, have a game in hand, needing a result to keep the hopes of a quadruple intact. A draw technically leaves Liverpool alive in the title race, but the chances would be considered remote. For all intents and purposes, this match is a must-win for Liverpool.
The Reds could also use a healthy haul of goals, and will be looking to pile on the pressure against a Southampton team that’s occasionally prone to shipping a crooked number. Liverpool is behind Man City on the goal difference tally, and in such a close race, making up that difference could prove critical in the case the clubs are even on points.
Southampton sits 15th in the standings, suffering through a poor run of form to finish the season, but the Saints are firmly safe from relegation, not in danger of the drop.
MORE: Premier League standings & table races
Sporting News will be following the match live and providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.
Southampton vs. Liverpool live score
| 1 HOUR | 2H | Final | |
| Southampton | – | – | – |
| Liverpool | – | – | – |
goals:
None
Commentary:
10th min: CHANCE, Southampton! The first real opportunity of the match falls to the hosts, as Broja leads a counter-attack and takes it himself. The Saints forward got past Matip but his shot of him from a very tight angle is turned away by Alisson. Matip got beat but did well to push Broja wide where Alisson could cover the very acute shooting angle. The veteran defender was clearly favoring the middle, as defenders are instructed.
7th minute: Lots of defending for Southampton to do, but Liverpool can’t profit from the first corner of the game. Good early aerial defending from the Saints squad.
There’s a lengthy delay after Ibrahima Konate took an elbow to the face, but after on-field treatment he’s up and ok to continue.
1st minute: Kickoff at St. Mary’s! Liverpool need to win or draw to keep their Premier League title hopes alive, but a win is the far more helpful result. Lose, and the title is officially Man City’s.
20 mins to kick: Southampton are the lower side talent-wise today, but James Ward-Prowse is a wanted man and could net Saints a hefty profit.
“Any club will want him!”
Could James Ward-Prowse leave Southampton this summer ahead of the 2022 World Cup? 🔍🏆 pic.twitter.com/uMxCPFft9H
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 17, 2022
60 mins to kick: Lineups are in. Jurgen Klopp was expected to rotate his Liverpool lineup to some extent, but he’s essentially deployed an entirely second-choice starting eleven. Luis Diaz is even rested, with a front three of Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, and Takumi Minamino. The Liverpool boss is still excited to feature his players from him.
“I 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗬 love the line-up!” 😍
Jurgen Klopp on his team selection 👇 pic.twitter.com/5tq63Umyv8
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 17, 2022
105 mins to kick: Southampton have lost eight of their last 11 Premier League matches, with just one win in that span. Can the Saints put up a fight against Liverpool, or will they succumb to the Red machine and become a footnote in a vicious title race?
Ready to take center stage.
✨ @Prowsey16 pic.twitter.com/OTa4Dxz2oj
— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) May 17, 2022
120 mins to kick (5:45 p.m. local): The match tonight is a must-win for Liverpool in the Premier League race; only a loss eliminates them mathematically from title contention, but a draw just about shuts the door as well.
While Liverpool are still expected to roll against Southampton, a few missing starters such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk could give Reds fans just a slight amount of worry…
🔴 Liverpool’s Premier League record with / without Virgil van Dijk starting since he joined from Southampton:
🙋♂️ Apps – 129 / 38
✅ Wins – 97 / 21
🤝 Draws – 22 / 9
❌ Defeats – 10 / 8😲 A win percentage drop of 𝟭𝟵.𝟵% when he doesn’t start… pic.twitter.com/ucSArtSEa5
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 17, 2022
Southampton vs. Liverpool line-ups
Southampton is without Tino Livramento who tore his ACL in late April. However, the recent team news is more positive. While Southampton is one of the healthier teams in the Premier League at this point, a number of players expected to return for this match have not.
Stuart Armstrong and Fraser Forster they were thought to have recovered from their knocks, but neither appears in the starting lineup. Armstrong makes the bench, while Forster does not appear in the squad.
Oriol Romeu has been a workhorse this season but sees the bench for a second straight match, while Che Adams has also failed to reclaim his starting role. Instead, it’s Mohamed Elyounoussi who comes into the attack alongside Nathan Redmond and Armando Broja.
Southampton starting line-up (3-4-2-1): McCarthy (GK) — Lyanco, Salisu, Stephens — Walker-Peters, Diallo, Ward-Prowse, Tella — Elyounoussi, Redmond — Broja.
Southampton subs (9): Caballero (GK), Valery, Bednarek, S. Armstrong, A. Armstrong, Romeu, Djenepo, Long Adams.
Jurgen Klopp had a number of decisions to make, knowing the chances of a Premier League title hang in the balance, but also aware of the upcoming Champions League final on May 28. Any importance placed on the remaining two league matches could jeopardize the health of players for the European title match.
That was evident when Liverpool saw fabinho and Mohammed Salah limp off in consecutive matches last week, and Virgil van Dijk is also now dealing with an injury problem. While they are all expected to recover in time for the Champions League final, their health has been considered by Klopp in this match, knowing the Premier League title might be just too far out of reach to justify their presence.
Salah and van Dijk in particular were ruled out by Klopp pre-match, and Fabinho’s participation in league play at all is in serious doubt, leaving today’s game too soon for his return.
Klopp has gone even further, selecting an entirely second-choice starting lineup. The only regular starters in the 11 are Diaz, goalkeeper Alisson, and center-back Joel Matip. Otherwise, the entire squad has been rotated, with even louis diaz Rest. That leaves room for a pair of young midfielders in Curtis-Jones and Harvey Elliott.
Liverpool starting line-up (4-3-3): Alisson (GK) — Tsimikas, Matip, Konate, Gomez — Jones, Milner, Elliott — Jota, Firmino, Minamino.
Liverpool subs (9): Kelleher (GK), Williams, Robertson, Thiago, Keita, Henderson, Oxlande-Chamberlain, Diaz, Origi.
How to watch Southampton vs. Liverpool
| UK | USES | Canada | Australia | |
| Date | Tues, May 17 | Tues, May 17 | Tues, May 17 | Wed, May 18 |
| Time | 7:45 p.m. BST | 2:45 p.m. ET | 2:45 p.m. ET | 4:45 a.m. AEST |
| TV-channel | Sky Sports Main Event | USA Network, Universe | ||
| streaming | NOW-TV | fuboTV | DAZN | OptusSport |
UK: The match between Southampton and Liverpool is available in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event, and streamed on NOW TV.
USES: Tuesday’s match at St. Mary’s Stadium is available in the United States on USA Network (English) and Universo (Spanish), both of which can be accessed via fuboTV via a free trial for new users.
Canada: In Canada the match is available via DAZN.
Australia: Fans in Australia can watch the match on Optus Sport.
MORE: How Liverpool can win the Premier League title
Southampton vs. Liverpool betting lines, picks & prediction
Odds via DraftKings (USA) & Sports Interaction (Canada)
Liverpool will be restricting a number of players in this match, not necessarily granting the Premier League title, but placing it below the Champions League on the priority list. Still, there’s a clear objective today for the Reds: not only win, but win by as many goals as possible.
Southampton are no pushover, with a top coach in Ralph Hassenhutl and an elite player in James Ward-Prowse, but the depth is not there, especially defensively. This Saints side has shipped 15 goals in its last six league matches, dating back to a 6-0 walloping at the hands of Chelsea. Last time these two teams met it was 3-0 by halftime, and this time, if that happens again, the Reds won’t shut it down through the final 45 minutes.
Liverpool should feast, and while the lack of starters is enough to make the high total over a questionable bet, the Liverpool spread should be more than enough.
Pick: Liverpool +1.5 (-105 on Draft Kings)
prediction: Southampton 0-3 Liverpool
| USES (Draft Kings) |
Canada (Sports Interaction) |
UK (skybet) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton Win | +700 | +730 | +230 |
| drawing | +475 | +411 | +250 |
| Liverpool Win | -270 | -310 | +110 |
| Both teams to score Y / N |
-140 / +110 | -159 / +101 | -165 / +120 |
| Over/Under 3.5 goals |
+115 / -140 | +115 / -147 | -125 / -110 |
| Liverpool -1.5 | -105 | -107 | – |
| Southampton +1.5 | -115 | -118 | – |
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