SOUTHAMPTON VS. LIVERPOOL

| Sunday, May 28th |
Premier League | St. Mary’s Stadium
4:30PM GMT/11:30AM EST

Let’s just have fun. Liverpool are confirmed to finish in fifth place. Southampton are confirmed to be going down to the Championship. Sure, some might say that’s the recipe for a listless, perfunctory end to the 2022-23 season where no one’s fans will be leaving St. Mary’s Stadium satisfied.

However, I propose a different path. This match means nothing to anyone, so let’s be bonkers. Alisson up front, Curtis Jones in goal, a 7-1-1 set up. Why not? At the end of the day, it’s football. It’s not that serious, the stakes couldn’t be lower, and it’s meant to be fun. Give the fans watching one last good memory before we all collectively put this season out of our brains for good.

I could write a preview. I mean, I could, I guess. But who cares? If you care about which Liverpool players start on Sunday, please comment below and explain yourself.

Ibrahima Konaté and Andy Robertson are both doubts, but why would Klopp risk them? The only disappointing, but honestly fitting, news is that Naby Keïta will miss out on his final game due to injury. We’ll want to see James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and of course, Bobby Firmino grace us with one last appearance before departing from the club.

Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Milner, Fabinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Salah, Firmino, Diaz

Steph’s Lineup (7-1-1)

Jones; Van Dijk; Milner; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Salah, Firmino, Diaz, Nunez, Alisson, Henderson

As stated above, Keïta will be unavailable tomorrow while Robertson and Konaté are doubts. Also out for Liverpool will be long term absences Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Calvin Ramsay.

For Southampton, Che Adams, Mohammed Salisu, Juan Larios and Armel Bella-Kotchap, and Romain Perraud are all out. Paul Onuachu is a doubt due to a back issue.

What the Managers Had to Say

Jurgen Klopp: “So, last night, we are fifth. They are relegated, OK, what does that mean now? Usually we play Sunday, we have to win and if not everything breaks down, and stuff like this. It’s the final, or whatever.”

Ruben Selles: “Any game against Liverpool we will try to be competitive and show we are Premier League level. For me it’s exactly they same, I prepare the same way as we did with some of the details being a bit different - but we will go there and compete as good as we did against Brighton for example.”

The Officials

Referee: Darren England. Assistants: Dan Cook, Samuel Lewis. Fourth official: Dean Whitestone. VAR: Craig Pawson. Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.

Kickoff is set for 4:30PM GMT/11:30AM EST tomorrow. Stick with The Liverpool Offside team to keep yourself up to date with team news and match buildup, live updates, and post-match reaction. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account and have your say on the action as it happens.