Liverpool will play their final Premier League game prior to the World Cup when they face Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
A young Reds side had their nerves tested on Wednesday night when Derby County took Liverpool to penalties in the Carabao Cup third round. But, some Caoimhin Kelleher heroics saw the Reds advance to the fourth round where they will face Manchester City. Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his side can end on a high before the World Cup commences, though they will need to be wary of Southampton's new manager bounce when they welcome the Saints on Saturday.
The last time Liverpool faced a side with a new manager was the 3-3 draw against Brighton, with Klopp admitting it was hard to prepare as he didn't know how the Seagulls would set up. The Reds do have an impressive record at home against Southampton though, with the Saints goalless at Anfield in the Premier League since 2015.
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There are no new injuries for Liverpool, with James Milner and Joel Matip both back in training. So, can Liverpool pick up three points before the pause in the Premier League season? We simulated the game to find out.
We simulated Liverpool vs Southampton to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their team as follows: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago; Salah, Firmino, Nunez.
We predict that the visitors could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Bazunu; Lavia, Bella-Kochap, Salisu, Perraud; Ward-Prowse, Maitland-Niles; Armstrong, Armstrong, Elyounoussi; Adams.
The opening stages of the game were slow, but Liverpool had full control as the visitors struggled to get a hold of the ball. The midfield battle is where Liverpool were winning the game, and a combination between Thiago and Fabinho saw the Reds take the lead after 35 minutes.
Thiago started the move off by finding Fabinho in the middle of the pitch and advancing forward into the box. The Spaniard wasn't tracked as he found himself in a fantastic position, and when picked out by Fabinho, Thiago fired a powerful strike across the 'keeper and into the net.
It was an important goal for Liverpool as the Reds saw their early control rewarded with the lead at half-time. As the game went on, the Reds became more fluid in attack, and Roberto Firmino doubled the lead as he finished off a well-worked passing move.
Liverpool carried the ball across the pitch with ease as Mohamed Salah and Jordan Henderson exchanged first-time passes to break forward. As Salah received the ball on the right, the Egyptian cut in and slid Firmino in just inside the box, and the Brazilian side-stepped his marker before firing into the bottom corner from close range.
It was an assertive performance from Liverpool, with Firmino at his best as he made things tick in attack. With 15 minutes to go, the Brazilian got his second of the game to make it 3-0.
Thiago fizzed a pass into the feet of Salah just inside the box on the right, and a clever flick from the winger with his feet saw the ball slide into the path of Firmino. The striker took on his shot first-time, curling his effort into the far corner to put the game past Southampton.
The Saints did pull a goal back in the 86th minute when Che Adams turned in James Ward-Prowse's cross at the front post, but it proved to be a consolation goal as the Reds won 3-1 at Anfield.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Liverpool 3-1 Southampton
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Liverpool could head into the World Cup break on a high, beating Southampton 3-1. Roberto Firmino and Thiago were on top form, but the clean sheet went missing late on to the annoyance of the Reds' defence.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments below.
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