EA Sports bring us a few facts about both sides in this Saturday's televised game from St Mary's Stadium.
Southampton were left to rue their inability to convert their chances as they fell to a 3-1 defeat to West Ham at Upton Park last weekend. Maya Yoshida headed the visitors in front but the Saints were unable to capitalise on several chances and eventually returned to the south coast empty handed.
Maya Yoshida may have found first team appearances difficult to come by this season, but this hasn’t stopped him from being effective when his chance has come. He’s won 90% of his 10 challenges to date this season.
Midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin continues to be a vital lynchpin in the Saints engine room this season, often doing the dirty and unglamorous work that allows those around him to shine. He ranks third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for total tackles completed this season with 123 to his name, and an impressive 71.1% overall success rate.
Jose Fonte has been a rock at the back for Mauricio Pochettino’s side this term, racking up a huge number of defensive contributions (blocks, clearances, tackles won, interceptions). With 330 to his name, expect him to be vital in containing the potent Liverpool strike force this weekend.
Steven Davis will potentially be another key factor in disrupting Liverpool’s passing game and forcing them onto the back foot in their own half. No Saints player completed more passes in the opponent’s half in the last round than Davis, his 49 passes coming at an impressive average rate of one every 1.59 minutes. Davis is 8/1 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.
An incredible game at Anfield last weekend saw Liverpool eventually come out on top as they emerged as 4-3 winners over Swansea. Former midfielder Jonjo Shelvey scored on his return to Anfield, but braces from both Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson eventually saw Brendan Rodgers to victory over his former side.
Luis Suarez may not have been as prolific in recent games as he has been for the rest of the season, but that doesn’t mean he’s still not incredibly effective up front for the Reds. Not only does he continue to lead the league for total on-target attempts with 57, he’s also just become the first player to have surpassed 100 attempts on goal according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index (103).
His strike partner Daniel Sturridge has certainly not be struggling to find the net though, picking his red hot goal-scoring form right up where he left off prior to injury. He’s racked up an attempt on goal on average once every 24.9 minutes he’s been on the pitch this season, second behind only Suarez in this category for for players who have had 60 shots or more. Sturridge is 15/13 with 888sport.com to score at any time this weekend.
Expect Phillippe Coutinho to be the key conduit through which Liverpool’s attacking play will flow and the main supplier of chances for SAS from midfield. Unsurprisingly given the young Brazilian’s vision and ability, he completed more passes in the opponent’s half than any other Liverpool player in the last round, with 37 to his name.
Young defender Jon Flanagan has been earning plenty of plaudits this season for some increasingly assured performances. His stats back up this recognition, the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index showing Flanagan as winning 38 of his 60 attempted challenges this term, the sixth highest total in the Liverpool squad.
Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at
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