MatchThe opposition lowdown: Southampton

Opposition view...

Alfie House, senior Southampton FC reporter at Southern Daily Echo

On Southampton's season so far...

"There's definitely been highs and lows. Southampton started the season with a couple of good wins and then they were beaten four games in a row by some good teams in the Championship. That was a bit of a rock of the boat for them, but after that they went 25 games unbeaten. They've since lost that streak and they have now tasted defeat in three of their last four games. It's a bit of a downturn right now but it's been one of the best periods in the club's history in terms of an unbeaten run from September to early February. It's been a mixed bag, though they're well in contention for promotion back to the Premier League as we enter the latter part of the campaign."

On Russell Martin's style of play...

"It's very clear. It's all about possession of the football and finding the spare man when they've got the ball. They absolutely stick to that, and they dominate the ball in pretty much every Championship game they play. They create a lot of chances and they're good for final-third entries but a lot of the time it's just about finishing that. It will be interesting to see how that marries up when they visit a place like Liverpool, which will obviously be a much bigger test than they're used to this season."

On Southampton's key players...

"One of them has been Flynn Downes, who is a defensive midfielder, but he has missed the last three or four games through injury and there's a real doubt about whether he'll be available for the game at Liverpool. Saints haven't looked quite the same without Downes, who played under Martin at Swansea, anchoring their midfield.

"One of the other players who was rested on Saturday against Millwall is Adam Armstrong. He's got 16 Championship goals this season. He didn't really make it in the Premier League at the first attempt, but he's captained the side in pretty much every game he's played this year. He's somebody who will be coming back in with a bit of impetus and aggression and will be one of those who fancies himself for a goal at Anfield. Kamaldeen Sulemana has also not started many games this season but injuries mean he might against Liverpool, and he scored twice against the Reds in the 4-4 Premier League draw last May."

Predicted line-up

"Russell Martin did concede there would be changes to his team but said that he's going to put a side out that he thinks can give a performance they're proud of and ultimately try to win the game."

Southampton (4-3-3): Lumley; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Bree; Charles, Smallbone, Aribo; Armstrong, Sulemana, Mara.

Previous meetings...

Prior to Southampton's relegation from the Premier League last season, the teams met on two occasions in the league in 2022-23.

The Reds played out a thrilling 4-4 draw on the final day of last term at St Mary's Stadium – with the departing Roberto Firmino on the scoresheet alongside Diogo Jota (two) and Cody Gakpo.

In the reverse fixture at Anfield, Liverpool secured three points with a 3-1 victory after a goal from Firmino and a Darwin Nunez double.

What they said…

Southampton manager Martin

"I think it's one we are all looking forward to and the challenge for us is to be the team we want to be – to go there and be brave and be aggressive. We'll see where it will take us.

"We will have 5,000 fans there on a Wednesday night, which is incredible. So, it will be a brilliant atmosphere, I'm sure, and it's one we are all very much looking forward to."