Southampton vs Liverpool Preview

Premier League bottom club Southampton will welcome league leaders Liverpool to St. Mary’s Stadium this Wednesday in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup.

Both teams are not only separated by 18 positions in the league but are far apart in form and readiness for this game.

Southampton come into this fixture without a permanent manager after Russell Martin, the man who led them to Premier League promotion was dismissed at the weekend following a 5-0 loss to Tottenham. All five goals were scored before halftime, further magnifying why the Saints have taken just five points in their name after 16 games (W1, D2, L13).

Their beleaguered supporters will hope the EFL Cup offers some welcome respite. Under-21 manager Simon Rusk temporarily steps into Martin’s shoes and he is tasked with upsetting the odds in this quarter-final tie against Liverpool.

Southampton actually went beyond this stage two seasons ago before being beaten in the semi-finals, while they were also runners up back in 2016/17. Repeating that feat looks difficult here though, as despite running Liverpool close in a 3-2 defeat here last month, it’s hard to find a route to victory considering that was their 12th loss in the last 14 H2Hs (W1, D1).

Meanwhile, Liverpool travel to the South Coast looking a bit out of shape having suffered back-to-back draws in the Premier League lately. Although the most recent result came after Andy Robertson was sent off early on, the signs of a drop-off in level have been glaring lately.

Things are even more ominous ahead of this tie as manager Arne Slot will miss this tie as he serves a touchline ban for a yellow card in the draw with Fulham.

However, Liverpool, who have already emerged victorious from the south coast in this competition will fancy their chances of winning here without their manager. The Reds overcame Brighton in the last round (3:2), and if the history of the EFL Cup is anything to go by, the visitors are likely to go all the way again as the defending champions boast a competition record ten triumphs, lifting the trophy twice in the last three seasons.