Southampton Host, Liverpool Double Benefit

LIVERPOOL, FRIDAY – Facing Southampton offers a double advantage for Liverpool, who are striving to maintain their position at the top of the English Premier League standings and advance to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League. Given the current state of the team, there is almost no chance for Southampton to win at Anfield Stadium on Saturday (8/3/2025) at 10:00 PM WIB. Liverpool can use this match as an opportunity to field players who rarely get playing time as preparation for hosting Paris Saint-Germain.

By resting key players, "The Reds" have the opportunity to perform at full strength when hosting PSG mid-next week. In the first meeting, Liverpool secured an important 1-0 victory at PSG's home ground.

Fielding players who rarely get playing time is a wise move by Liverpool Manager Arne Slot in an effort to progress further in the Champions League. This is because Southampton is not, on paper, an opponent that is difficult for "The Reds" to defeat.

"I might start with the same 11 players, but with only a two-day break and the fact that we have had to fight very hard. This might be the 50th match in three months. So, you take everything into account, including which players are the most suitable," said Slot during a press conference ahead of the match on Friday (7/3/2025).

Slot does not need to force himself to field a full-strength team against Southampton, who are mired at the bottom of the relegation zone. Due to the vast difference in quality between the two teams, some parties have likened the Liverpool and Southampton match to David facing Goliath.

The significant disparity between Liverpool and Southampton is evident from the difference in points on the standings. Liverpool is far ahead with 67 points, while Southampton is languishing with only nine points from 27 matches.

Fielding key players from the start is nothing short of a waste of energy for Liverpool. Even with less frequently deployed players like Jarrel Quansah and Federico Chiesa, Liverpool is still predicted to remain the favorite. If they manage to overcome Southampton and maintain their advantage over PSG next week, this would undoubtedly be a double advantage for "The Reds."

While Liverpool face opponents of a lower quality, their closest rivals Arsenal have to battle Manchester United in the other game. If Liverpool win and Arsenal fail to beat MU, the gap between Liverpool and Arsenal, which is currently 13 points, will widen even further.

Since replacing Russell Martin as manager, Ivan Juric has failed to improve the performance of the club nicknamed "The Saints". Out of 12 matches played, Juric has only managed to present two wins and the remaining eight matches ended in defeat.

In the previous match, Southampton suffered a crushing 0-4 defeat at Chelsea's home ground. The defeat to Chelsea further makes Southampton the team with the worst defense in the Premier League. In 27 matches, they have conceded 65 goals.

Juric's poor performance has prompted management to plan to sack him at the end of the season. Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has been mentioned as a strong candidate to replace Juric.

With such an inconsistent performance, it is hard to imagine Southampton being able to cause a surprise at Anfield. Moreover, this season Liverpool has only experienced one defeat at home, namely when facing Nottingham Forest.

"It's true that Liverpool have been performing exceptionally well this season. It will be a very tough game for us. But it's not an impossible mission (to steal points at Liverpool's home ground). We will try as hard as we can," Juric said at a pre-match press conference.

However, Juric's efforts to steal a point at Anfield will not be smooth sailing as his mainstay right-back, James Bree, is injured. Bree has been crucial for Southampton under Juric. The 27-year-old defender has started nine of Southampton's 10 Premier League games since Juric took charge.