Arne Slot, the coach of Liverpool, warned that the upcoming match against Southampton on Sunday, in the 12th round of the Premier League, will be a tough challenge.
Liverpool is aiming to strengthen its position at the top of the league table, currently sitting on 28 points from 11 matches, 5 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City. In contrast, Southampton is at the bottom of the table with just 4 points.
The Southampton match comes before two crucial and high-stakes fixtures for Liverpool. They will host Spanish side Real Madrid next Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League, followed by a home match against Manchester City on December 1st in the Premier League.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday ahead of the Southampton match, Slot said: "We have an incredible list of upcoming fixtures, starting with Southampton."
The Dutch coach added: "This is the most important match for me right now because it's the next one. The other two matches don't influence my team selection for the Southampton game; my focus is solely on the upcoming match and understanding how the opposing team plays and how fit their players are."
Slot further explained: "I would say that Southampton is a team capable of making things difficult for us. I've watched them play against Manchester City, Arsenal, and Wolverhampton. They are capable of competing against teams like us."
The Liverpool coach emphasized: "They’ve been a bit unlucky, but they have a very good playing style."
Slot concluded his comments by saying: "Everyone says that playing against Manchester City and Real Madrid will be tough, but I believe the Southampton match will also be difficult."
