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Liverpool goes into Sunday’s game at St Mary's Stadium in fourth place in the Premier League, with Spurs having leapfrogged them with their 1-0 win against Arsenal at Wembley.
Expect the Reds to score goals as Southampton have conceded 38 so far, seven more than Jurgen Klopp's side, who don’t have a watertight defence themselves.
Attack wise, there is no comparison with Liverpool so far scoring three times more goals than their hosts, 59 as compared to the Saints' 20 goals.
It has been reported that Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez won’t make the starting line up as they continue to recover from recent injuries.
On that note, the Reds are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation with the following players:
Goalkeeper
Loris Karius
A fair game and a key penalty save to deny Harry Kane, which stopped Spurs going in front at Anfield will ensure he retains the spot between the sticks.
Jurgen Klopp has also insisted he favours the German over Simon Mignolet, who will have to settle for a place on the bench once again.
Defence
Right-back - Trent Alexander-Arnold
The 19-year-old will retain the right-back spot with Joe Gomez injured, and he is one of the fittest in the squad so expect him to raid regularly down the right flank. He has been used sparingly by Klopp this season but has given his all when called upon.
Centre-back - Dejan Lovren
Lovren will continue in the centre and make another return to his former club. He has failed to live up to expectations but has improved his game slightly since the arrival of Virgil Van Dijk. The 27-year-old will have a tough task of keeping new Saints' striker Guido Carrillo quiet.
Centre-back - Virgil Van Dijk
Club record-signing Virgil van Dijk, who cost Liverpool £75m, will make his first return to a hostile St. Mary's Stadium. The Reds' defender won’t be fazed and will want to make his mark at both ends - a clean sheet and maybe a goal from a corner. He will certainly relish the opportunity on his return.
Left-back - Andrew Robertson
Even though Alberto Moreno has been declared fit, expect Andy Robertson to continue after a good showing last week. He has shown why he is able to make the step up following a string of impressive displays recently coming against the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Midfield
Central midfielder - James Milner
With Jordan Henderson being rested as he continues his recovery, James Milner will be expected to captain the side and provide experience in the centre of midfield. He will look to hold on to the ball well and let those around him press as usual.
Central midfielder - Emre Can
Emre Can didn’t have the best of games last week and could not compete with Moussa Dembele, but the Southampton midfield is not as strong, so expect him to direct operations from the centre.
Despite reports linking the 24-year-old with a move to Juventus in the summer, Klopp still clearly sees the German as a key member to his squad.
Central midfielder - Georginio "Gini" Wijnaldum
Adam Lallana has been declared fit and as a former old boy, he will be desperate to start. However, his fitness schedule hasn’t gone according to plan - being sent off after 19 minutes in the under-23s defeat at Spurs in midweek may cost him.
Expect Wijnaldum to take his place. His form has dipped and even though he only saw 20 minutes of game time last week, it may be a positive as he will be fresh and that could mean 60 minutes this week with Adam Lallana potentially coming on to replace him.
Forwards
Left-winger - Sadio Mane
Mane's form of late has dipped, but this could be due to him having to play a new role in the team as Mohamed Salah now occupies the left wing he occupied last season.
The Senegalese attacker has scored 6 league goals so far this term as against the 13 he got last season, so he is still on track to come close to that figure, and as yet another former Saints player, he has the added incentive of seeking to perform against his former employers.
Right-winger - Mohamed Salah
Mo Salah has scored one more league goal than the total number of goals scored by Southampton so far, so expect the 25-year-old Egyptian to find the back of the net yet again.
He will further be driven by the incentive in the fact that that he is only two goals behind Harry Kane, who now finds himself level with Sergio Aguero after the Argentine scored 4 goals against Leicester City this weekend.
Centre-forward - Roberto Firmino
Roberto Firmino committed himself to the Anfield outfit this week, slaying any fears that he may follow Phillippe Coutinho out of the exit door. The 26-year-old Brazilian will look to add to his 11 league goals so far and will provide a constant threat.
Playing in the centre of a front-three consisting of Mane and Salah, expect Firmino to have an eventful game that might just even see him find his way to the scoresheet.
