The Jürgen Klopp revolution has not begun with the bang that many fans were hoping for. Though the performances have been an improvement, results are yet to follow. He's seen the team to two draws so far, the most recent one against the 10-man Rubin Kazan in the Europa League being the most disappointing of the two. This match marks his first home league fixture, and he will be hoping to achieve his first victory. This is especially important considering that the team's next league match is away to Chelsea, a fixture Liverpool have found daunting in recent years.
This season Liverpool have guarded Anfield about as well as Ashley Madison have guarded their clients' information (which is to say -- not well), so a win on Sunday would make for a welcome change. Southampton have already beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this season, and they'll be coming to Anfield looking for a victory. Brendan Rodgers's Liverpool got the double over Southampton last year, which was frankly the least Southampton could do after Liverpool gifted them with nearly £50m for the services of Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren, and Adam Lallana. This summer, Liverpool may have gotten their Southampton purchasing right when they scooped up Nathaniel Clyne to replace the departed Glen Johnson at right back.
Southampton currently sit two places above Liverpool on the table, which seems fair based on form so far this season. Their injured list includes Long, Forster, Gardos, and Stekelenburg, but that still leaves them with a strong side to bring to Anfield. They also will have had a full week's rest after last weekend's draw against Leicester, while Liverpool played most of their starters on Thursday in the Europa League against Russian side Rubin Kazan.
Southampton top scorer Graziano Pellè will no doubt be leading the line on Sunday, and his five goals this season prove that he is not a threat to be taken lightly. (Though since he's on my fantasy team, we can all rest assured that he won't score on the day. I'm working some serious reverse psychology on Liverpool's behalf.) This Southampton side has shown itself to have plenty of quality and more than one way to make Liverpool's porous defense pay for any lapses.
For Liverpool:
Mignolet
Clyne/ Škrtel/ Sakho/ Moreno
Can/ Lucas/ Milner
Coutinho/ Lallana
Benteke
The back line will stay as it has been for the last two games, with Mamadou Sakho's excellent performance meriting him another start despite Dejan Lovren's availability. There may be an outside possible we'll see Lovren in for the faltering Martin Škrtel, though that seems unlikely. Emre Can is another player who had an excellent game during the week, netting the Reds only goal so far under Klopp's reign. Roberto Firmino off the bench on Thursday, and that's where he'll likely start on Sunday while he works on his match fitness. Christian Benteke, on the other hand, seems likely to usurp fellow countryman Divock Origi as the lone forward. Rounding out the bench along with Lovren, Firmino, and Origi should be Adam Bodgan, Jordon Ibe, Kolo Tourè, Joe Allen, and Joao Carlos Teixeira, with Jerome Sinclair and Connor Randall likely losing their places.
There are questions about Daniel Sturridge's fitness, which should send a shiver of dread down the back of any Liverpool fan. His likely absence on Sunday may be at least partially precautionary, but when it comes to Sturridge, most Liverpool fans will only believe that when if see him back on the pitch again soon. Daniel Sturridge's mind at least, though, does seem to be optimistic and determined even if his body continues to thwart him at every turn. Also out for Liverpool are those suffering from long term injuries: Danny Ings, Joe Gomez, and Jon Flanagan, who has been "two months away" from full fitness for the last eight months or so. Jordans Henderson and Rossiter are also out of contention. Henderson is about one month away from fitness, while Rossiter has no return date as-yet for his hamstring injury.
Kickoff is set for 4:15PM BST/12:15PM EST Sunday. Television coverage will be on Sky Sports 1 in the UK and NBC for the US. Elsewhere, Fox Sports 4 in Australia, Sportsnet in Canada, Star Sports 4 Asia in India, SuperSport 5 Africa in Kenya, Astro SuperSport 2 in Malaysia, and 111 mio Sports in Singapore are carrying the match. You can find other listings at LiveSoccerTV. Online streaming is also available with Sky Go Extra in the UK and NBC Sports Extra in the US. For Online radio, fans worldwide can check out LFCTV GO and TalkSport Radio World.
We'll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it's released, our live matchday thread and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on all the action as it happens.