Southampton capable of destabilising Liverpool’s title tilt - Top tips

Friday night football is back in the Premier League and it’s a significant game in the title race as Liverpool aim to reclaim top spot away at Southampton.

The hosts aren’t out of trouble at the other end of the table but a run of three wins from their last four matches has opened up a five-point gap on the relegation zone. Ralph Hasenhuttl will know that if they can distance themselves further tonight then they will have a fantastic chance of avoiding the drop.

The Austrian has rejuvenated Saints since his arrival in December, changing the team’s style of play and causing problems to some of the league’s best teams in the process. His very first home win came at home against Arsenal and the last at St. Mary’s came against Tottenham, with the team scoring in all nine of their home matches under the new boss.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have struggled on the road of late, needing a late penalty to get the better of the now relegated Fulham to end a run of three straight draws away from home. That strike from the spot was also the first time in six league matches that the Reds had scored more than once on their travels, so this is likely to be far from straightforward, despite what the odds may suggest.

Saints are as high as 9.00 with some bookmakers, immediately bringing two markets to our interest. The first is double chance, with the hosts priced up over 3.00 to win or draw with most, while Bet Victor have an industry best price of 1.79 on Southampton +1.5 on the Asian Handicap, meaning a defeat by a single goal would also come in as a winning bet on top of the draw or home win.

Three of the last four meetings between the sides on the south coast would have seen a win for both tips, and if Liverpool do return to the top tonight it’s unlikely to come without a scare. Saints have only lost once by more than a single goal in their previous 12 home matches, and that should still be the case after 13.