Saints face return of red-hot Sadio Mane, now a Red
Southampton steel themselves for a thriller that could lead to their relegation against Liverpool who have acquired some of their best players
Manchester — Liverpool’s bid for their first title since the creation of the Premier League continues on Friday at Southampton, whose St Mary’s stadium is a familiar place for a number of Juergen Klopp’s side. In recent years Liverpool have spent about £170m on signing players from the Saints, including key men Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane, both of whom are expected to start on Friday. Liverpool raided Southampton heavily in the summer of 2014 when they brought in Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Rickie Lambert. The following year full-back Nathaniel Clyne, currently on loan at Bournemouth, went for £12.5m and then in 2016 Mane made the move for £34m. The biggest deal — after a bitter wrangle — was Van Dijk’s £75m move last January. While Van Dijk has transformed Liverpool’s defence, Mane’s 17 goals this season make him a real threat to the Saints, who are only five points above the relegation zone. Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand, who played with Mane at the club, knows exactly ...
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