Liverpool continue their bid for Champions League football with a home match against Southampton on Sunday afternoon, as they look to strengthen their grip on a top-four finish.

The Reds head into the final three games of the season knowing that their fate is now in their own hands, having made the most of some favourable results in the previous round of Premier League fixtures.

Liverpool

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Playing after your rivals is often seen as a disadvantage, but in Liverpool's case it proved a blessing in disguise as they headed to Watford last Monday with all the incentive they could need, with the sides directly below them all dropping points.

As the final few weeks of the season draw nearer, it is the Reds who are now in the driving seat in terms of a top-four finish, sitting three points clear of Manchester City and four ahead of Manchester United after playing a game more than their rivals.

A truly dreadful start to 2017 behind them, when dropping out of the title race and exiting both domestic cup competitions, Liverpool look likely to achieve their ultimate target for the season - bringing top-tier European football back to a now-revamped Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp's men have lost just one of their last nine games and won three out of four, although that solitary defeat at home to Crystal Palace recently did suggest that the Reds still have plenty of work to do in their remaining fixtures to avoid a further slip-up.

Seeing off Watford was certainly a tougher task than it needed to be, too, with the Hornets missing a glorious late chance to rescue a point, but in the end a third away win on the spin for the Merseyside outfit - the second time they have managed that under Klopp - was well deserved.

Now just three more games stand between Liverpool and a third top-three finish in 10 years, which would mark a vast improvement on their sixth and eighth-place finishes of the past two campaigns, but if that is to happen then Man City will need to drop further points along the way.

Either way, Klopp will be happy with the way things have turned out on the whole this season, no doubt targeting nine points from meetings with Southampton, West Ham United and Middlesbrough this month to set up what will likely be another busy summer of transfer activity.

Injury problems have perhaps held Klopp's men back at times this term, while the loss of Sadio Mane at the turn of the year to the Africa Cup of Nations also did not help, so with a bit of further tinkering a title challenge could well be on the agenda 12 months from now.

Recent form in Premier League: WDWWLW

Southampton

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A largely inconsistent season for Southampton will see them fail to match the achievements of the past two campaigns under ex-boss Ronald Koeman, even if they were to overcome Liverpool and win each of their other remaining fixtures.

The Saints' points tallies of 2014-15 (60) and 2015-16 (63) now out of reach, they are essentially left battling for another top-half finish which would be a positive achievement in itself as focus has been elsewhere for the vast majority of the campaign.

From contending with Europa League fixtures in the early part of the season to going all the way to the final of the EFL Cup, this has been a gruelling campaign for new manager Claude Puel and one that, if rumours are to be believed, could still end with him out of a job.

With off-field uncertainty at St Mary's Stadium, combined with audible jeers from certain sections of the fanbase during last weekend's goalless draw with Hull City, Puel's job is said to be under review as the end of the season approaches.

Speaking on Friday, Puel claimed that he was "surprised" by the reports emerging from his home country as he joined the south coast club as part of a "long-term project", but with games against Liverpool, Arsenal and Man United still to come, finishing outside of the top half is a real possibility.

Going three games without a win certainly has not helped, albeit with the first two of those outings coming against Man City and Chelsea, although the manner in which they failed to overcome away-day strugglers Hull did make it a little more apparent why some want Puel gone.

A strong end to the season will certainly help his long-term prospects, but having won back-to-back games just three times this season - most recently a month ago when beating Palace and West Bromwich Albion on their travels - building any sort of momentum looks unlikely to happen.

Recent form in Premier League: DWWLLW

Team News

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Philippe Coutinho sustained a thigh injury in the 1-0 win over Watford but is in contention to feature against Southampton, while Adam Lallana could start for the first time since March after coming off the bench at Vicarage Road.

There is still no news on skipper Jordan Henderson's return date from a troublesome injury, though, and both Mane and Danny Ings will also miss the remainder of the campaign.

Klopp has a big decision to make up front, as Daniel Sturridge - who has played just 1,316 minutes of league football since Klopp took over as Liverpool manager in October 2015 - is available and could replace an out-of-form Divock Origi.

In terms of the visitors, Charlie Austin is closing in on a return to action after missing the whole of this calendar year with a shoulder injury, but the trip to Merseyside will almost certainly come too soon for him to feature.

Matt Targett is another who will represent the club's Under-23s side on Friday night which, if he comes through unscathed, could see him link up with the travelling party for Sunday lunchtime's clash with Liverpool.

There is likely to be a start for James Ward-Prowse, meanwhile, as he was left among the subs for the goalless draw with strugglers Hull last time out.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Milner; Wijnaldum, Leiva, Can; Lallana, Sturridge, Firmino

Southampton possible starting lineup:
Forster; Soares, Stephens, Yoshida, Bertrand; Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Davis; Tadic, Gabbiadini, Redmond

Head To Head

Liverpool boss Klopp has a poor record against this weekend's opponents, failing to pick up a win in three previous Premier League encounters with the Saints.

One of those ended in defeat and two finished all square, including November's stalemate on the south coast, following a previous run of five successive wins prior to Klopp's appointment.

Southampton also came out on top in this year's EFL Cup semi-final clash, winning both legs 1-0, but the Saints have won just one of their last five top-flight visits to Anfield in the Premier League.

We say: Liverpool 1-0 Southampton

Southampton have become a bit of a bogey side for the Reds of late, winning two and drawing one of their previous three meetings this term in league and cup, but Liverpool are in better form than those previous encounters and know that victory on Sunday will move them a big step closer to nailing down a place in the top four.

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