Southampton v Liverpool: Prediction, Tips and Odds

Southampton were thrashed 5-0 by Tottenham at St Mary's on Sunday and the Saints face a daunting EFL Cup quarter-final tie against Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Southampton v Liverpool betting tips and predictions

Liverpool to win & both teams to score - 6/4

Liverpool needed an 83rd-minute penalty from Mohamed Salah to seal a 3-2 Premier League win at Southampton last month and another entertaining clash at St Mary's is expected.

Salah is one of the senior players likely to be rested by Arne Slot for Wednesday's EFL Cup quarter-final and the Reds have limited defensive options.

Left-back Andy Robertson is suspended after his early red card in the 2-2 weekend draw with Fulham while centre-back Ibrahima Konate and right-back Conor Bradley are injured.

Liverpool have shown signs of vulnerability at the back recently, conceding twice at St Mary's and drawing 3-3 at Newcastle before dropping points against the Cottagers at Anfield.

However, they face a Southampton side whose manager Russell Martin was sacked after Sunday's 5-0 home defeat to Tottenham, who were 4-0 up inside 25 minutes.

Southampton's previous home fixture ended in a 5-1 rout against Chelsea and interim boss Simon Rusk, the club's Under-21 coach, may struggle to stop the rot.

Backing Liverpool to win and both teams to score looks the best bet. It was a winner in November's league meeting between the clubs at St Mary's and the Reds have beaten West Ham 5-1 and Brighton 3-2 in their first two EFL Cup ties this season.

The Premier League and UEFA Champions League are clearly the main objectives for Slot, whose side are top of the table in both competitions.

However, Jurgen Klopp signed off his time at Anfield by lifting the EFL Cup in February and the Reds have a great chance to advance to the semi-finals by beating the Premier League's bottom club.

Cody Gakpo to be first goalscorer - 11/2

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has been restricted to seven Premier League starts this season but he is the main man in the EFL Cup, scoring four goals in two appearances against West Ham and Brighton.

Gakpo has shown a real cutting edge in front of goal for club and country recently. He scored three times in six appearances for the Netherlands at the Euros and added another couple of goals in the Oranje's autumn Nations League fixtures.

He has scored twice in 297 minutes of UEFA Champions League playing time this season and found the net in three of his last five league starts, against Brighton, champions Manchester City and Fulham.

Gakpo had six shots in the EFL Cup drubbing of West Ham and three against Brighton in the last 16 so he looks a tempting bet to open the scoring at St Mary's.

Matheus Fernandes to be booked - 12/5

Southampton have not been afraid to trust their younger players this term and teenager Tyler Dibling is likely to start against Liverpool along with 22-year-old centre-backs Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Nathan Wood.

Portuguese midfielder Matheus Fernandes, who is only 20, should also have a big role to play and he scored in the league defeat to Liverpool and in August's 5-3 EFL Cup win at Cardiff.

Fernandes does not shy away from a midfield scrap, picking up six yellow cards in 25 Primeira Liga starts for Estoril last season.

He has been booked four times in his first 13 Premier League outings, receiving his latest caution in Sunday's loss to Spurs, and he looks a leading card candidate on Wednesday evening.

Read more football betting tips and predictions on site.

Southampton v Liverpool odds

Southampton - 6/1
Draw - 17/4
Liverpool - 19/50

View the full market and more odds for Southampton v Liverpool on site.

Read Southampton v Liverpool how to watch, TV channel, head-to-head stats, team news and more on site.

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.