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Southampton v Liverpool – EFL Cup Preview

Date – 18th December 2024

Venue – St Mary’s Stadium

Kick-off – 20.00

After Liverpool’s character-building yet disappointing 2-2 draw at home to Fulham, the Premier League schedule shifts to another domestic competition, as the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup await the reigning champions Liverpool. Southampton are in complete disarray at the moment, as their now-former manager, Russel Martin was sacked in the hours following Sunday’s 0-5 home defeat against Tottenham. The fatigue will only increase for these under-pressure English clubs, which could make for an entertaining encounter on the South Coast.

Southampton Availability

Gavin Bazunu, Ross Stewart, Adam Lallana, William Smallbone, and Juan Larios, are all ruled out through injury. Aaron Ramsdale faces a late fitness test, whereas Jack Stephens is suspended. Recent form shows that 0-5 defeat at home to Spurs, a 1-0 loss away to Aston Villa, after a 1-5 defeat against visiting title contenders, Chelsea.

A predicted lineup for the home team is listed below, in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Some significant changes could be made for this game, with their caretaker manager (under 21 boss), Simon Rusk, installed to oversee this next group of games. More defensive coordination will be demanded and the continuing need to play out from the back will surely be less prominent under new leadership.

GK – Alex McCarthy

RB – Kyle Walker-Peters

RCB – Nathan Wood

LCB – Jan Bednarek

LB – Ryan Manning

CM – Adam Lallana

CM – Mateus Fernandes –

CM – Flynn Downes

RW – Tyler Dibling

CF – Cameron Archer

LW – Ryan Fraser

The Liverpool Availability

Andy Robertson will join his head coach, Arne Slot, in serving a one-match domestic ban for this game. Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konaté and Kostas Tsimikas are unavailable for this next batch of games.

In terms of recent form, before the 2-2 draw at home to Fulham and the 3-3 draw with Newcastle at St James Park, Liverpool defeated Manchester City 2-0 at Anfield, following a 2-0 victory against fellow Champions League contenders Real Madrid, also at Anfield.

Below is the team I believe the Dutch boss, Arne Slot, will start for this quarter-final encounter. Given the trip to Tottenham that will be undertaken on the forthcoming Sunday, there should be some fair rotation for this game. Following the 17th-minute red card for Andy Robertson (on Saturday) and subsequent work needed from his teammates, I would expect key individuals to be stood down to ensure their fitness ahead of the next Premier League outing. Diogo Jota is likely to start on the bench after a lack of training following the weekend’s game.

GK – Caoimhin Kelleher

RB – Tyler Morton

RCB – Jarell Quansah

LCB – Joe Gomez (c)

LB – James Norris

CM – Curtis Jones

ACM – Harvey Elliott

CM – Wataru Endō

RF – Federico Chiesa

CF – Darwin Núñez

LF – Jayden Danns

How Will This Contest Play Out

Liverpool will want to take advantage of the indecision that will surely be swarming around the Southampton dressing room, as alterations to their playing style will surely start to be implemented over the coming weeks. The Reds will want to gain control against a team which looked to overpower them a few weeks ago and, therefore, will put much firepower at the disposal of the Anfield giants, I foresee a solid win within a game that could produce plenty of goal-scoring opportunities.

Player to watch – Federico Chiesa

Steven Smith’s Score Prediction;

Southampton 1 – 3 Liverpool

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