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Former Celtic star Chris Sutton has backed Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to dispatch Nathan Jones’ Southampton despite their inconsistent results this season, predicting a 3-0 win for the Reds.
Last season’s Premier League runners-up Liverpool have had a difficult time maintaining consistency in the league this term. Picking up only 19 points from 13 matches, they find themselves in eighth place in the Premier League standings, a staggering 15 points behind current leaders Arsenal.
The Merseysiders will play their final pre-World Cup match against Southampton at Anfield on Saturday (November 12). They are coming into the Southampton clash on the back of a 2-1 league win over Tottenham Hotspur. They, however, were unexpectedly beaten by Nottingham Forest and Leeds United in the two matches preceding the victory over Spurs.
Sutton has been left puzzled by the 19-time English champions’ unpredictable run this season, but still backed them to inflict a defeat on Jones in his first match in charge. In his BBC column, Sutton revealed:
“Nathan Jones takes charge of Southampton for the first time here, but how much difference can he make in a couple of days? Saints just don't score enough goals anyway, but Anfield is not exactly the ideal place to go for a club to get a managerial bounce."
He added:
“Admittedly my record of predicting Liverpool's results this season has been a bit hit and miss, but I didn't just call their win at Tottenham last week, I nailed the exact result.”
He concluded by adding:
“I'm still not absolutely sure the Reds will win this one, just because of their inconsistency, but given their season so far, I think Jurgen Klopp will be absolutely desperate to go into this winter break on a high.”
Mohamed Salah could be the key man for Liverpool against Southampton
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt narrowly missed out on World Cup qualification, and as a result, Salah is free to give it all for his club leading up to the grand spectacle.
The Reds have enjoyed Salah’s great run of form in their recent matches, with him scoring thrice in his last three matches across competitions. After a slow start to the Premier League season, Salah finally has a chance to return to the competition for the Premier League Golden Boot. He is likely to take every single opportunity to boost his tally.
Southampton, who are currently 18th in the rankings, has shipped in a whopping 24 goals in 14 games this season. It would not be surprising to see the Liverpool no. 11 inflict further damage on Saturday.
Salah has thus far played 20 games this season, scoring 14 times and claiming five assists across competitions.
