Adam Lallana has returned to fitness and could feature against Liverpool this weekend. His return means that Southampton will be without just one player for its visit to Anfield.
Lallana has been absent since the start of February but Saints boss Ivan Juric has confirmed that he should be back for the trip to Liverpool on Saturday. Right-back James Bree is the only player set to miss out.
Kyle Walker-Peters got a knock against Chelsea just over a week ago but he is expected to be fit. Jan Bednarek is also thought to be ready to play, while Lesley Ugochuukwu is eligible again having been ineligible against his parent side last time out.
Liverpool is 13 points clear at the top of the Premier League table as things stand. It could extend its advantage before Arsenal travels to Manchester United on Sunday.
“Make no mistake, [Saturday] is a very important game,” Virgil van Dijk writes in his matchday program notes. “I know some people outside of Liverpool will look at the Premier League table and think this could be a straightforward afternoon for us, but I can assure you that none of us players will feel that way.
“There is no such thing as an easy game in the Premier League and Southampton will get our full respect and attention, just like every team we play against does. We have played against them twice already this season, once in the league and once in the Carabao Cup, and both were tough, close games in which we only narrowly secured the victory.
“We had to dig deep on both occasions and we are ready for another big fight. So we know that we will need to be ready to fight and to run and to play from the very first whistle until the last. We accept the challenge, and hopefully we can give you lots to shout about at the end of another memorable week.”
Liverpool.com says: No matter who is fit and available for Southampton, Liverpool should be able to come out on top in this fixture. That is not to say that the Reds don’t need to take it seriously, but they should be able to get across the finish line with something to spare ahead of huge matches this week against PSG and Newcastle United.
