Ralph Hasenhuttl has said that Southampton pair Fraser Forster and Stuart Armstrong could miss the Liverpool game tomorrow.
Speaking to southamptonfc.com, Hasenhuttl said that he still hoped the pair would be ready for the game at St Mary’s.
“[Liverpool] have a few problems but we also have a few problems,” said the Saints boss.
“Stu Armstrong and Fraser Forster didn’t train in the week. They started yesterday; we will look how far they are. They could be available for the weekend. Both have back problems and joint problems, knee problems. A little bit from everything, a little bit sore and hopefully they will be ready for Tuesday.”
As Hasenhuttl alludes to, Liverpool have a few problems of their own. The Reds will definitely be without Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah and Fabinho for the game.
Taking it to the wire
There is a feeling that Liverpool are back in with a shout of the title. Manchester City’s draw yesterday has allowed for a slither of hope.
The Reds have the chance to be in with a shout on the final day of the season. First though, they need to make sure they get three points against Southampton tomorrow.
After facing an intense 120 minutes and penalty shootout against Chelsea on Saturday, it’s a quick turnaround for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Southampton aren’t quite safe from relegation themselves. They’ll be keen to take advantage of Liverpool’s intense schedule to finish the season on a high in-front of their own fans.
In terms of playing style, there probably aren’t too many games that Klopp would least like to have played after a marathon battle with Chelsea.
Despite their erratic results, Southampton are a high-intensity team just like Liverpool. At times that’s to their detriment, but Hassenhuttl’s side will always press and harry with everything they’ve got.
The Reds are likely to rotate fairly heavily. But they’ll all have to be as focussed as possible to make sure the title fight goes right down to the wire. Anything other than 100%, and they’re likely to come away from St Mary’s having handed the crown to City.