Southampton v Liverpool: Reds to again flaunt their away excellence

Southampton 2.74 v Liverpool 2.94; The Draw 3.35
Wednesday, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 5

Southampton

Ronald Koeman's topsy-turvy second season has entered its second "turvy" cycle, as after the Saints scrubbed out a shaky start and returned to 2014/15's seventh place courtesy of an eight-game unbeaten, they undid that progress with successive defeats for the first time all campaign.

They have been formidable so far in the Capital One Cup, dismissing MK Dons 6-0 away and then sinking Aston Villa 2-1, but they were similarly sharp en route to the quarter-finals last term, turning over Millwall, Arsenal and Stoke on their travels only to then fold against Sheffield United.

Their attempt to avoid such a fate against superior opponents this year must be conducted without Fraser Forster, Florin Gardos and Jay Rodriguez, while they may also be without captain Jose Fonte, who hobbled off in the first half of Saturday's 3-1 reverse at Manchester City.

Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp's figures as Reds boss - P10 W6 D3 L1 - are pretty impressive in isolation, yet become even stronger when you wipe out the three draws at the dawn, one of which was against Southampton at Anfield, as they have won six of their last seven encounters in all competitions.

Three DFB-Pokal final appearances in the past four years and a quarter-final exit at Bayern Munich in the exception show that Klopp takes any opportunity to secure a trophy seriously. Indeed, Nathaniel Clyne and Roberto Firmino were among his starters at home to Bournemouth in the previous round.

It is primarily long-term absentees that he will have to make do without at St Mary's, though there are plenty of those, including Jose Enrique, Jon Flanagan, Joe Gomez, Mamadou Sakho, Jordan Rossiter and Danny Ings. Philippe Coutinho is a doubt too after missing out against Swansea.

Match Odds

Southampton lost to four of their seven top-eight companions on the south coast in 2014/15, including Liverpool in February, and have earned one point from 12 when welcoming anyone who isn't in the bottom six this season, so it is a shock that the visitors are rated 2.92outsiders.

Sure, Koeman's side drew on Merseyside in October, but it is on the road that the Reds truly flourish. Despite facing one of the Premier League's toughest ever away opening sequences - Stoke, Arsenal, Man United, Everton, Tottenham, Chelsea, Man City - they have been beaten just once, shutting the north London pair out and most recently triumphing 3-1 at Stamford Bridge and 4-1 at the Etihad.

Across the board, Klopp's squad haven't been defeated in six fixtures beyond their backyard, seizing maximum points from the latest three, and they have netted five times without reply over their last two trips to St Mary's.

Next Goal

Liverpool have broken the deadlock in four straight meetings with Southampton, utilising a different first scorer each time to show off their versatility. However, you don't have to worry about spotting the goal-getter too much as 2.14 odds on any of the guests grabbing the opener are enticing enough. They were 1-0 up in four of their last six away clashes.

Recommended Bet:

Back Liverpool to win @ 2.94