Today will be the 97th match between these two sides – Liverpool have won 50 so far, with Southampton winning 24 and 22 ending as draws.

These two sides did meet last season despite Southampton being in the Championship – Liverpool ran out 3-0 winners in an FA Cup tie in February.

The last time these two sides met in the league was in May 2023, when they played out a 4-4 draw!

Arne Slot has made three changes to the side that beat Villa last time out, with one of them a forced change as Conor Bradley replaces the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold.

In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai comes in for Alexis Mac Allister, while on the left wing Cody Gakpo replaces Luis Diaz.

Russell Martin has made five changes to the side that lost to Wolves before the international break.

Alex McCarthy replaces the injured Aaron Ramsdale in goal, while in defence Ryan Manning and Jan Bednarek drop out for Ryan Fraser and Flynn Downes, with the latter moving into midfield.

In the middle of the park, Stuart Armstrong and Joe Aribo are replaced by Tyler Dibling and Paul Onuachu, with the latter moving upfront.

Southampton XI: McCarthy; Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens, Fraser, Downes, Lallana, Fernandes, Dibling, Archer, Onuachu.

Subs: Lumley, Sugawara, Bree, Manning, Aribo, Ugochukwu, Kamaldeen, Brereton Diaz, Archer

Liverpool XI: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo.

Subs: Jaros, Davies, Gomez, Endo, Diaz, Mac Allister, Elliott, Quansah, Morton.

Line-ups should be coming out at around 12.45pm, so here’s a quick reminder of the team news.

Southampton have been dealt a major blow with Aaron Ramsdale suffering a hand injury on international duty, while Jan Bednarek has been sidelined as well.

Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott. But Virgil van Dijk is fit to face his former side after withdrawing from Netherlands duty.

The Reds know that, regardless of their result at Southampton on Sunday, they will end the weekend at the top of the standings after a superb start from new manager Arne Slot, who has still only tasted defeat once since taking over in the summer.

A game against a Saints side bottom of the table with only one league win to their name this term is clearly one Liverpool should be winning, but bigger challenges await in the coming days with Real Madrid due at Anfield in the Champions League on Wednesday before Manchester City visit next weekend.

Arne Slot insists Liverpool will not talk about being Premier League title favourites despite taking a five-point lead at the top of the table.

The Dutchman’s side are nine points clear of third place and have only dropped five points this season, while results before the international break meant statisticians Opta gave them a 58 per cent chance of winning the league and many bookmakers made Liverpool the likeliest champions.

But while manager Slot does detect growing belief from his players in him, he is adamant that neither he nor anyone at the club will get carried away by their lofty position.

He said: “I don’t talk about favourites. It is boring but I just talk about the next game which is a challenge in itself.”

Southampton have been dealt a major blow with Aaron Ramsdale suffering a hand injury on international duty, while Jan Bednarek has been sidelined as well.

Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott. But Virgil van Dijk is fit to face his former side after withdrawing from Netherlands duty.

The Premier League fixture will kick off at 2pm BST on Sunday 24 November at St Mary’s, Southampton.

What TV channel is it on and how can I watch?

It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, with coverage starting from 1pm. If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

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The Reds continued their excellent start under Arne Slot before the international break and beat Aston Villa to go five points clear.

It’s a big week for the Dutch coach, with blockbuster games against Real Madrid and Manchester City to come, but the focus first is on Southampton.

Liverpool would be 11 points clear if they beat Southampton and City, with Pep Guardiola’s side losing 4-0 to Tottenham on Saturday night.

Russel Martin’s side secured their first win of the season on their last home outing against Everton – but it was followed by defeat to fellow strugglers Wolves.