Southampton v Liverpool: Reds to rule the St Mary's roost

Mark O'Haire
16 May 2022
3 min read

Liverpool have proven formidable opposition in 2022

Southampton vs Liverpool
Tue 17 May, 19:45

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Liverpool look to keep their quadruple dreams alive when they travel to face Southampton at St Mary's on Tuesday night in the Premier League. Mark O'Haire picks out his best bet...

"The Merseysiders are unbeaten in Premier League action this calendar year (W14-D3-L0), only dropping points against top-five rivals Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham"

Back Liverpool to win and Yes to a Goal Scored in Both Halves @ 1.865/6

Southampton sliding down the standings

Southampton were ninth in the Premier League table back in February, but seven defeats in their last 10 games have sent Saints sliding down to 15th and increased pressure on head coach Ralph Hasenhuttl. A poor start cost the south coast club in their most recent outing, a 3-0 reverse at Brentford, having conceded two goals in 77 first-half seconds.

After that poor start, Southampton did rally but were mainly restricted to efforts from distance, with home goalkeeper David Raya equal to efforts from James Ward-Prowse and Mohamed Elyounoussi either side of the break. With Saints unable to create clear-cut chances, Brentford put the game beyond doubt with a third and final strike late on.

It all proved too much for a section of Southampton supporters, who turned on Hasenhuttl with chants of "you don't know what you're doing" and "you're getting sacked in the morning". The German boss accepted the criticism, saying: "They were by far the better team. We're far away from having the quality to win games. We have to change that."

Liverpool triumph at Wembley

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he "could not be prouder" of his quadruple-chasing side after they beat Chelsea on penalties to win the FA Cup on Saturday. The Reds replicated their shootout win over the Blues in the Carabao Cup final back in February by triumphing 6-5 on spot-kicks after a goalless 90 minutes and extra time at Wembley.

Speaking post-match, Klopp said: "I couldn't be prouder of my boys, the shift they put in, how hard they fought. It was an incredible game, a nerve-wracking shootout, my nails are gone. The quadruple thing is absolutely outstanding that we can talk about it. It's crazy. It's out of this world - this was game 60 in an intense season. Now we have to go again."

As in February's final, the shootout went to sudden death with Alisson's save from Mason Mount handing Liverpool the advantage before Kostas Tsimikas slotted home the winning penalty. But the triumph appeared to come at a cost with Klopp forced to withdraw top scorer Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson at various stages during the final.

Reds firm favourites

Southampton have lost eight of their last nine Premier League matches against Liverpool, conceding two goals or more in each defeat. However, the exception came at St Mary's last season where the Saints ran out 1-0 winners here against an injury-ravaged Reds outfit.

Southampton 6.806/1 have won just one of their past 10 Premier League games (W1-D2-L7). Since the start of March, only Norwich (4) and Watford (3) have picked up fewer points than Saints (5) with Ralph Hasenhuttl's troops shipping more goals than any other side in that time (24). The hosts have lost their final home game in three of the last five campaigns.

Liverpool 1.538/15 have proven formidable opposition in 2022. The Merseysiders are unbeaten in Premier League action this calendar year (W14-D3-L0), only dropping points against top-five rivals Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham. The Reds can also boast a super strong W18-D1-L0 return when taking on bottom-half dwellers, averaging 2.84 goals per-game.

Southampton

Liverpool

Southampton 2 2 Leeds United
Tottenham Hotspur 4 1 Southampton
Leicester City 4 1 Southampton
Southampton 1 2 Liverpool
Brentford 3 0 Southampton
Southampton 1 2 Crystal Palace

Fulham 2 2 Liverpool
Liverpool 0 1 Real Madrid
Liverpool 3 1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Southampton 1 2 Liverpool
Chelsea 0 0 Liverpool
Aston Villa 1 2 Liverpool

Southampton vs Liverpool Tuesday 17 May, 19:45

Full stats

Goals forecast for St Mary's

Southampton's 3-0 loss last time out at Brentford means the Saints have now conceded at least 60 goals in each of their last four Premier League campaigns. The hosts have recorded clean sheets in only three of their past 25 league outings, whilst seven of their last 10 have delivered pay-outs for Over 2.5 Goals 1.4740/85 backers.

Thirteen of Liverpool's 19 match-ups with bottom-half teams have also produced Over 2.5 Goals winners, and Premier League matches away from Anfield involving the Reds are averaging a chunky 3.28 goals. The visitors have struck multiple times themselves in 14 of their overall 18 games as guests and repeating that feat should be well within their range.

With that in mind, I'm happy to back Liverpool to win and Yes to a Goal Scored in Both Halves at 1.865/6 via the Bet Builder. Liverpool have notched in both halves in 22/36 (61%) this term, and with the likes of Virgil van Dijk potentially absent on Tuesday night, there's potential for Saints to also get on the scoresheet in a high-scoring showdown.

Mark's 2021/22 Profit/Loss

Staked: 130 pts

Returned: 143.50 pts

P/L: +13.50 pts

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