Southampton vs Liverpool Betting Pick | English Premier

English Premier

2019-04-05 - Southampton vs Liverpool

A Sports Betting Pick by Auls

Southampton v Liverpool
Football: English Premier League
Friday 5th April 2019 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV

Southampton

A big 0-1 win in the south coast derby helped Southampton move a little clearer of the relegation zone, but Ralph Hasenhuttl will be reminding his players there are still 21 points to play for. Putting another three points on the board on a weekend when Cardiff City are not playing would likely be enough for Southampton to begin to feel safe, especially as they have a game in hand over the two teams immediately below them in the League table.

The win last weekend means Southampton remain in 16th place in the Premier League table, but they are now 5 points clear of Cardiff City who have been beaten twice out of the international break. A 4-6-5 record at St Mary's is not the best, but Southampton have been improved since Hasenhuttl has taken over as manager in December and they will be confident here.

Southampton have begun to move clear of the relegation zone thanks to a run of 3 wins from 4 Premier League games. They have been beaten in 1 of their last 6 games at St Mary's in all competitions and Southampton have beaten Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur in back to back games here in the Premier League.

Jannick Vestergaard is a doubt for this fixture, while Shane Long is edging closer to a return to the first team.

Liverpool

Another goalkeeping error and some wastefulness in the final third saw Liverpool earn a tight win over Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday and maintain their push for the Premier League title. Manchester City's win on Wednesday has shifted the pressure back onto Liverpool who are playing behind them for yet another week, but Jurgen Klopp is trying to make sure the players are only focused on what they can do.

Last week Sadio Mane insisted Liverpool will need to win all of their remaining six Premier League games to have a chance to win the League title for the first time since 1990. They come into this weekend 1 point behind Manchester City with an inferior goal difference as we enter the final stretch of the Premier League season. The Reds have a 10-5-1 record away from home in the League where they have scored 26 goals and conceded 9.

Liverpool are unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions, but more importantly they have won 4 in a row to make sure their rivals know they are not losing their nerve. They had drawn 3 away games in a row in the Premier League, but Liverpool have since won 1-3 at Bayern Munich and 1-2 at Fulham.

Virgil Van Dijk had a slight knock in the win over Tottenham Hotspur, but he will be available for this one. Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are edging closer to a return for the side after long-term injuries.

Head to Head

Liverpool beat Southampton 3-0 at home earlier this season.

Liverpool also did the League double over Southampton last season.

Southampton had been unbeaten in 3 at home in all competitions against Liverpool before the 0-2 defeat to them fourteen months ago.

Prediction

The opening Premier League game of the weekend comes on Friday night from St Mary's as both Southampton and Liverpool chase the points they need to fulfil different ambitions.

The home team will be looking for one more win to really begin to feel they have enough points to avoid relegation. The 0-1 win at Brighton last weekend was a big result for Southampton who have won 3 of their last 4 Premier League games and their last 2 at St Mary's against Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.

While the win over Spurs was a big result, Southampton know they could have been in a big hole by half time as they were being dominated by the top four club. That is a concern when they get ready to take on a Liverpool team who have won 4 in a row in all competitions and seem to have a little bit of fortune on their side as late goals have gone their way.

Liverpool have a solid away record in the Premier League and they are a team who have looked secure defensively, but I expect that to be tested by Southampton who will feel they have nothing to lose here. Any points earned against the top six has to be considered a bonus for Southampton in their fight to avoid the drop, but they have been better at home under Ralph Hasenhuttl and this is a team that can cause problems for the bigger clubs at St Mary's.

Both North London clubs have been beaten here since Hasenhuttl took over as manager of Southampton, while The Saints have also scored against Manchester United in a draw and Manchester City in a defeat at home. I do think they can do the same against a Liverpool team who have not had a clean sheet in 4 games and that includes conceding against Burnley and Fulham who are both below Southampton in the Premier League table.

The Southampton defensive issues makes it very difficult to imagine Liverpool not scoring here themselves so the selection is picking both teams to score at odds against.

The Statistics :

SOUTHAMPTON LAST SIX HOME FORM
	DATE	RESULT		OPPOSITION
	2019-03-09	W	2-1	H v Tottenham
	2019-02-27	W	2-0	H v Fulham
	2019-02-09	L	1-2	H v Cardiff
	2019-01-30	D	1-1	H v Crystal_Palace
	2019-01-19	W	2-1	H v Everton
	2018-12-30	L	1-3	H v Man_City

LIVERPOOL LAST SIX AWAY FORM
	DATE	RESULT		OPPOSITION
	2019-03-17	W	1-2	A v Fulham
	2019-03-03	D	0-0	A v Everton
	2019-02-24	D	0-0	A v Man_Utd
	2019-02-04	D	1-1	A v West_Ham
	2019-01-12	W	0-1	A v Brighton
	2019-01-03	L	2-1	A v Man_City

HEAD TO HEAD SOUTHAMPTON v LIVERPOOL
DATE	HOME	SCORE	AWAY
2018-02-11	Southampton	0-2	Liverpool
2016-11-19	Southampton	0-0	Liverpool
2016-03-20	Southampton	3-2	Liverpool
2015-02-22	Southampton	0-2	Liverpool
2014-03-01	Southampton	0-3	Liverpool
2013-03-16	Southampton	3-1	Liverpool