Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers knows how important tomorrow’s game is likely to be…
Brendan Rodgers has confidently backed Liverpool to earn all three points when they travel to Southampton on Sunday.
The Reds are unbeaten in the Premier League since mid-December and will be looking to continue their push up the table.
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The Saints currently sit fourth in the table, four points better off than Rodgers’ seventh placed squad, but the Northern Irishman is determined to close that gap this weekend.
Liverpool beat Southampton 2-1 at Anfield on the opening day of the season, but the South Coast club have enjoyed an enormously successful season ever since – winning 14 games and conceding just 17 times, a Premier League low.
However, the Reds are full of confidence after a run of six wins and three draws in the league, as well as progress in the FA Cup and a first win in the Europa League. We’ve lost just one of our last 17 games in all competitions, and that came after extra time.
Speaking about Sunday’s match-up, Rodgers told the official website: “The games are now being ticked off, and with 13 games to go it would be a big step for us to get the result.
“We respect Southampton and the work that they have done this year. But we know that we have got the quality and confidence at the moment to go there and get a result.
“If we can get a victory and go within a point, it probably takes us to where we thought it would be, edging our way towards [the top four] after a really difficult start. That’s what we’ll continue to do, just step by step.
“It’s a very big game for both teams. We obviously went there needing a victory last year and played very, very well. They have been terrific this season; Ronald Koeman has come in and done an excellent job there.
“Everyone looked at the players they were losing in the summer, but they have kept the momentum going for the last five seasons really.
“From when they got relegated to League One, they have worked their way back up again, into the Championship and through into the Premier League.
“They have looked a really established team and this year they have continued to work well. They have found themselves in the top four and deservedly so, because they have played very well and have got some outstanding players.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game, but we know that we have the tools to go to any team and win and play well.”
Rodgers also hinted that our team is unlikely to change much from Thursday’s win over Besiktas. Asked for a squad fitness update, he said: “Steven [Gerrard] will still be out. Brad Jones, Lucas Leiva and Jon Flanagan are still working towards fitness. Jose Enrique is still out as well.”