Liverpool travel to Southampton on Sunday, hoping to finish their Premier League campaign on a high.
For Liverpool, it is unusual not to have something riding on the final day of the season – there has been a top four-place or the league title up for grabs in five of the last six years.
This time around, there is only pride on the line, with fifth place already guaranteed and Southampton relegated.
That doesn’t mean Liverpool won’t be fully at it, though, as players fight for their place in Jurgen Klopp‘s first-team plans.
A happy hunting ground
The Reds are looking to record their 10th league double over the Saints and their fifth in their last six seasons in which they have faced each other.
Liverpool have won 10 of the last 11 league clashes home and away, scoring 28 times and conceding five.
They have won four of the last five at Southampton.
Last season, at St Mary’s, they won 2-1, coming from behind with Takumi Minamino and Joel Matip scoring the goals.
The Reds’ biggest win at the ground was 3-0, in March 2014, when Luis Suarez, Raheem Sterling and Steven Gerrard scored. Jordan Henderson started that day.
If Liverpool win it will be their 50th league win over the Saints.
Liverpool’s next goal will be their 100th scored this season in all competitions.
This season, Roberto Firmino has averaged a goal every 138 minutes in all competitions, better than any other Liverpool player. Mo Salah is the next best with 140 minutes per goal.
Records are there to be broken
Should Firmino come off the bench and score twice, he will equal the club record of 18 goals by a Liverpool substitute in all competitions – a record currently held by David Fairclough.
Salah is one goal away from becoming the first player in Premier League history to provide 20 goals and 10 assists in three different seasons. He and Thierry Henry have done so twice.
If Salah scores, he will also become the first Liverpool player since Roger Hunt, in 1965-66, to score 20 league goals for a third successive season.
The Egyptian is also one goal short of recording 20 in the league for the fifth campaign in six – he recorded 19 in the other.
Salah has scored seven times in 10 league outings for the Reds against Southampton. Only Robbie Fowler (8) has found the net more for Liverpool against the Saints in the Premier League era.
Ian Rush, with 10, has scored more goals against Southampton in the league than any other Liverpool player – a Salah hat-trick takes him level.
Saints have been struggling
Southampton have had three managers this season. Half of their points (12) came under Ralph Hasenhuttl in the opening 14 games.
Nathan Jones took three points from his eight games, while current incumbent Ruben Selles has taken nine points from the last 15.
Southampton have not kept a clean sheet in their last 11 matches, and have conceded 17 goals between the 31st minute and half time this season.
They haven’t won in their last 12 league outings, with three draws and nine defeats.
All six of their league victories this season have been by a single goal margin (either 1-0 or 2-1).
This is the fifth campaign in succession that they have conceded 60 league goals or more. They’ve currently have shipped 69 goals, their most since 2008-09.
Only Wolves (31) have scored fewer league goals than the Saints this season (32).
They have not defeated a top-half team in the league this season.
This season’s scorers
Liverpool: Salah 30, Nunez 15, Firmino 12, Gakpo 6, Diaz 5, Elliott 5, Jota 5,
Alexander-Arnold 4, Carvalho 3, Jones 3, Van Dijk 3, Matip 2, Bajcetic 1, Oxlade-Chamberlain 1, own goals 4
Southampton: Adams 10, Ward-Prowse 10, Alcaraz 4, Perraud 4, Aribo 2, A. Armstrong 2, S. Armstrong 2, Caleta-Car 2, Mara 2, Walcott 2, Ballard 1, Djenepo 1, Elyounoussi 1, Lavia 1, Lyanco 1, Walker-Peters 1
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