Asked if he had a message for Southampton FC, in his post-match press conference today following his side’s 2-2 draw with West Ham United, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola responded: “Yes, I would say, beat Liverpool four-zero!”
Yes, the Premier League title race is still not totally settled as City dropped two points today, meaning Liverpool can creep back to within 1 point with a win Tuesday night. Of course, City would still clinch the league with a home win on Championship Sunday, regardless of what Liverpool do.
“The big, big privilege we have is that, at home, it’s in our hands,” Guardiola added.
“We don’t have to look at anything else other than ourselves. We just have to give everything.
“I said [to the players], ‘Don’t be sad today because we gave a really good performance. It’s fair, against this opponent, to arrive at the last day to decide who gets the title because both teams are so good’.”
With that said, let’s preview Tuesday huge’s league fixture between Southampton and Liverpool, looking at it from a Saints perspective.
Liverpool at Southampton FC FYIs
Kick: 745 BST, Tue May 17, St. Mary’s
Team News: Liverpool Southampton FC
Starting XI Prediction: Liverpool Southampton FC
Google Result Probability: Liverpool 69% Southampton FC 17% Draw 14%
Series History: Liverpool 59 Southampton FC 31 Draws 25
PL Form Guide Liverpool WDWWW Southampton FC LLDLW
PL Position Liverpool 2nd, 86 pts Southampton FC 15th, 40 pts
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple Pods
In terms of Saints team news, the side remains nearly fully fit, with long-term absentee Valentino Livramento the only player set to miss out.
Southampton FC Starting Lineup Prediction
Forster; Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Salisu, Perraud; Redmond, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, S. Armstrong; Adams, Broja
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.