Thursday, November 28, 2024

Southampton vs Liverpool: Premier League preview, team news, stats & head-to-head – BBC Sport

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  • Southampton have won just one of their last 14 Premier League games against Liverpool (D3 L10), a 1-0 home victory in January 2021.

  • Liverpool’s last Premier League game against Southampton was a 4-4 away draw in May 2023 – they conceded as many goals in that game as they had in their previous six visits to St Mary’s combined.

  • This will be the first Premier League match between the side starting the day bottom of the table and the side starting the day top since April 2023, and Southampton’s 3-3 draw away to Arsenal. League leaders are unbeaten in 14 such matches (W12 D2) since Wolves won 2-1 against Manchester United in February 2011.

  • Southampton have only lost one of their last eight Premier League home games against sides starting the day top of the table (W2 D5), and are unbeaten in their last four (W2 D2 – including a 1-0 win over Liverpool in January 2021) since a 0-1 defeat to Manchester City in May 2018.

  • Liverpool have won nine of their 11 Premier League games under new head coach Arne Slot (D1 L1). A win over Southampton will see the Dutchman become the joint-fastest manager to reach 10 wins from the start of a Premier League career (12 games), alongside Guus Hiddink in May 2009 and Carlo Ancelotti in November 2009 (both with Chelsea).

  • Only Manchester City are averaging more passes/game (642) and a higher passing accuracy (91%) than Southampton (543, 89%) in the Premier League this season. However, just 22% of the Saints’ passes have ended in the final 1/3, a league-low ratio.

  • Southampton have lost nine of their 11 Premier League games this season (W1 D1). Only seven sides in English top-flight history have reached 10 defeats in 12 or fewer matches from the start of a campaign, with all seven going on to be relegated.

  • Southampton are the lowest scorers in the Premier League this season (7), while only Crystal Palace (5.1%) have a lower shot conversion rate than Saints (6.2%). Just 30.1% of Southampton’s shots have been on target this term (34/113), a league-low ratio.

  • Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has both scored and assisted in the same match 35 times in the Premier League (including four already this term), just one shy of Wayne Rooney’s record of 36 games with both a goal and assist in the competition. The Egyptian has been directly involved in 11 goals (7 goals, 4 assists) in 11 Premier League appearances against Southampton.

  • Mohamed Salah has been directly involved in 67% of Liverpool’s Premier League goals this season (14/21 – 8 goals, 6 assists), the highest ratio by a player for any side in the division in 2024-25. Indeed, only Matt Le Tissier for Southampton in 1993-94 (69% – 34/49) has scored or assisted a higher proportion of a side’s goals in a single season in the competition.

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