A big game in the Premier League at both the top and bottom of the table on Friday night when Southampton host Liverpool. The Saints are five points clear of the relegation zone and that gap has been created by some good play in the past few weeks. They have won three of their last four games and if their form continues to be anywhere near as good as that then they are going to survive this season.

Liverpool are at the opposite end of the table, fighting for the league title and after Manchester City eased to a 2-0 victory over Cardiff on Wednesday night, Liverpool are back down into second place. The pair of them have six games to go, although Manchester City are not in action this weekend which gives Liverpool the chance to climb back on top.

This game is a big one for both teams, Liverpool are expected to win and certainly need it, while anything from this game for Southampton would be seen as a huge bonus, and a big help in their continued push for survival.

The Liverpool Title Bid

Liverpool have six games left to win the title, although things are not in their hands. If they win all six of their remaining games, and Manchester City do the same then City will win the league. Liverpool need a slip up, without having one of their own and that looks as though it may not happen unfortunately for them.

Based on what we have seen over the past couple of games, I am struggling to make a case for Liverpool going the rest of the season without dropping any points. They required a penalty in the final 10 minutes of the game to beat Fulham a couple of weeks ago, a team that have recently been relegated from the league. While Liverpool did dominate that game, they did not show the cutting edge required to grind out points at the end of the season when the pressure is on.

Then last week they won 2-1 at home to Tottenham, with a very fortunate late goal winning them the game. The first half was pretty even, but for big parts of that game, Tottenham played them off the park, and not only were Spurs unlucky to not get a point from the game, they were probably unlucky to not win it. Tottenham are stuck in a rut at the moment, but had they turned up to Anfield in good form there is no doubt in my mind that they would have been comfortable winners of that game.

When people talk about Liverpool, they instantly mention their exciting and explosive front three, which does deserve the credit it gets. However, in recent weeks they have faded and not been the same dominant force. Mo Salah is the biggest culprit of that front three, he is either injured, tired or struggling to cope with the pressure of playing in hugely important games week in week out. Whatever the reason for it, he is certainly not helping his team right now and if Liverpool are to win every game from now until the end of the season, they need him firing.

When you compare how Liverpool are playing right now to how Manchester City are confidently taking their games, you can clearly tell which team is the one used to challenging for trophies and winning them. This experience will help Liverpool get better in the long run, but obviously it won’t help them this season. It is tough at the top, and I think the past few weeks have been a bit of an eye opener for Liverpool and given them a taste of what they need going forward if they want to be a genuine title challenger every season in the Premier League.

The Southampton Survival Bid

Things are going well for Southampton as they look to survive in the Premier League, and that is all thanks to them getting some important results at the right time. They have won three of their last four games, which has given them a nice cushion over Cardiff, who are currently in the relegation zone and holding onto the last place. During the period of those four games, no one in the bottom half of the Premier League table has picked up as many points as Southampton, they have dug deep when it was needed the most.

They have a game in hand on many around them so they have seven games to go, and a couple of wins from those games should be enough for them to comfortably survive this season. Cardiff have five points to get from six games before they even draw level with Southampton, and after a big turning point in their season last week when they were beaten by Chelsea, I’m not sure Cardiff will get those, let alone any further points to move ahead of Southampton.

The job is not quite done just yet, but things are looking good on the south coast as Southampton are set to survive in the Premier League once again.

Southampton vs Liverpool Betting Tips

Compare these two teams on paper and pretty much everyone out there will agree that Liverpool are far stronger than Southampton, and would win the game between these two more often than not. However, when you add in the situations that both of these find themselves in right now, it makes things a lot closer.

Southampton are playing well and picking up wins to take them away from the relegation zone. They are almost safe, but need a few more points to seal the deal. The way they have been playing recently should give them hope of getting something from this game, and I fancy them to do that as well.

Liverpool are a quality team, no one can doubt that, but they have shown they are struggling in their last two games. Fulham came close to getting something from them, while Tottenham outplayed them in the second half last weekend.

This won’t be an easy game for Liverpool, there is a lot of pressure on their backs and they are either tiring quickly, or struggling to deal with it. For that reason, I am backing the draw in this one, which is a big price and it is not too far fetched to think that Southampton can play well enough to frustrate Liverpool and take what would be a vital point from them.

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