---
title: "View from the Opposition: Southampton"
canonical: "https://readliverpoolfc.com/first-team/view-from-the-opposition-southampton-2/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Joe Watson"
section: "First Team"
published: "2015-02-22T11:01:47Z"
modified: "2015-02-22T11:01:47Z"
---

# View from the Opposition: Southampton

**Before today’s clash with our surprise rivals for top 4, Southampton, I spoke to freelance writer and Saints fan Connor Armstrong (@ConnorArmstrong) about the fixture, and his perspective.**

**To start off, can you tell us about the main dangers Southampton can pose to Liverpool on Sunday, and who you think the real danger-men for your side are?**

Saints are quite reliant on their full-backs to provide width, so I’d say Nathaniel Clyne and Matt Targett. But also, Sadio Mané is in a good run of form, with four goals in his last five games for Saints. Tadić and Pellè can always be a threat, but are out of form at current.

**You’ve obviously performed above expectations this season, despite losing some key players in the summer…was this as much of a surprise to you as it was to others?**

Absolutely! I hoped that a good season for us would see us finishing around 10th, and equalling last season’s 8th-placed finish would have been superb. However, it looks as if we are about to break a record and have our best ever top-flight season in the Premier League era.

**Who do you think the top 4 will be, come the end of the season, and if not there then where do you see Southampton finishing?**

I still maintain that we will finish 5th or 6th, so I’m going to go with a top four of… Chelsea, City, United, Arsenal

**St Mary’s is a notoriously difficult ground to travel to, does that as well as Liverpool’s midweek fixture give your side the advantage?**

I’m not sure it does. We’ve performed better on the road than at home this season, and although we’re having a great season, goals have started to become hard to come by. Before the New Year we were much more of a free-scoring side, but now we look solid, if unspectacular.

**The corresponding fixture has thrown up plenty of goals in recent times, with the last two League meetings at St Mary’s finishing 3-1 and 3-0… do you expect similar on Sunday?**

Not at all. I expect it to be a tight and cagey encounter. Of course, if a goal comes early enough you always have the opportunity for the game to develop into a high-scoring affair.

**When looking at the current Liverpool squad, who do you feel poses your side the most threat on Sunday?**

Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling. We’ll be without Ryan Bertrand due to suspension, and Toby Alderweireld due to injury. Without a full-strength back-line – despite my faith in Targett and Yoshida – I can see us struggling with their movement.

**Finally, can we get a score prediction from you?**

As previously said I think the game will be cagey- 1-1 draw.

**I will agree with Connor on the game being a tight affair, but think (desperately hope) Liverpool have enough in the attacking department to scrape a win. It won’t be easy, I’ll go for a 1-0.**