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Southampton v Liverpool

  • 20:00 GMT on Sky Sports Premier League
  • Match odds: Home 4/1 | Draw 16/5 | Away 8/13

This should be a very entertaining Monday Night Football. Southampton welcome a Liverpool side who have dropped points in both of their last two games and that has seen their lead at the top reduced to goal difference. A return to winning ways can at least move them three points clear for now.

The Saints may be four without a win but they have proven to be a tough side to get past during that period. Three of those games ended in draws with their last two games also bringing clean sheets. They are both good achievements considering Jannik Vestergaard was out through injury.

Goals could well be on the cards given the styles of play and defensive absentees. Vestergaard remains unavailable for the hosts while Joel Matip joins Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk on the sidelines. Over 2.5 goals is 4/6 and we can hold confidence in that coming in with the current shape of the back lines.

Liverpool will likely go with a centre-back partnership of Fabinho and Nathaniel Phillips here. The duo kept a clean sheet in their last outing but could have conceded had it not been for a fine Alisson save to deny Ciaran Clark's header. Conceding shots to defenders has been an issue in recent weeks, and Southampton could well benefit given their strength from set-pieces.

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Southampton v Liverpool best bets


Opta facts

  • Southampton have won 10 league games against reigning Premier League champions, beating all six different teams to win the trophy when defending their crown (Man Utd, Blackburn, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City and Leicester). They could become the first team to beat all seven Premier League champions in the season following a title win.
  • Southampton won their first league game of 2020, beating Spurs 1-0 at St Mary’s. Saints haven’t won their opening league game in consecutive calendar years since 2002 and 2003 (which included a 1-0 victory over Spurs).
  • Liverpool have won their first league game in just one of the last eight calendar years when kicking off the new year away from home (D4 L3), with that victory coming at Burnley in 2018.
  • The reigning top-flight champion has lost their first league game in just two of the last 32 calendar years (W18 D11), with Man Utd losing 0-3 at Newcastle in 2012, and 1-2 at home to Spurs in 2014.
  • Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has scored seven goals in his six Premier League games against Southampton, only scoring more against Bournemouth (8) and Watford (8) in the competition.

Odds correct at 1300 GMT (03/01/21)

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