Liverpool travel to Southampton on Saturday and optimism from the Reds fans here in the pub is exceedingly high!

And you can’t blame the Reds faithful either- they were absolutely fantastic in their win over Watford before the international break began and you wouldn’t put it past Klopp’s men in dispatching Southampton either.

But the Saints have been going well themselves this season and under Claude Puel, they’ve enjoyed success in the Europa League and sit tenth in the Premier League.

However, with Liverpool doing so well in the league and sitting top of the Premier League for the first time under Jurgen Klopp, we think the Reds will have this one in the bag.

They’ve been too good for a handful of teams already this campaign and we think they will overrun Southampton too.

So with that in mind, here’s our Liverpool XI that we think will sweep aside Southampton on Saturday…

GK – Loris Karius

Jurgen Klopp has made it extremely clear that Loris Karius will be his number one goalkeeper going forward and we expect it to remain that way for the game against Arsenal.

RB – Nathaniel Clyne

Few right-backs have been as good as Nathaniel Clyne this season and the way he’s going, we think he could very much become one of the best in the Premier League.

He’ll relish the chance to play his former club and we’re expecting to see another good performance from the Englishman.

CB – Joel Matip

Joel Matip has been absolutely fantastic so far for the Reds this season.

He’s quick, defensively solid and reads the game with ease and has been a real asset to the squad this campaign. In Charlie Austin, Matip will be up against one of the league’s in-form strikers and he’ll have to be at his best.

CB – Dejan Lovren

Missed the convincing win over Watford with a virus but is fully expected to make a full recovery to be back in the team against Southampton.

Again, it’s another player who is coming up against their former employer and he’ll no doubt want to get one over on them.

LB – James Milner

James Milner has been one of the standout players in the whole Premier League this season and he’s slotted in at left-back with real ease.

Alberto Moreno was deemed too shaky to make consistent starts and former City man Milner has filled the void fantastically well indeed.

CM – Adam Lallana

Adam Lallana has continued where he left off for England, playing well in the win over Scotland.

Again, he’s another former Southampton trainee but he’ll have little sympathy for his former side as Liverpool look to extend their lead at the top of the table.

Lallana is extremely skilful and is arguably in the form of his career – something Southampton will really have to bear in mind throughout the tie.

CM – Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson’s meteoric rise continued as he captained England against Spain on Tuesday evening but thoughts will be back on Liverpool this weekend.

He’s another player that has really stepped up this campaign and with him anchoring this three-man midfield, Liverpool have looked extremely solid indeed.

He’s happy to move the ball around and keep things flowing in midfield and for what it’s worth, he’s been great.

CM – Emre Can

We’ve gone with Emre Can over Wijnaldum on this occasion, purely because the German had such a good hour in the win over Watford.

He’s a fantastic option to have in the squad and is a player that can fill it in the middle-of-the-park and in defence too.

RW – Phillipe Coutinho

Coutinho has been the best player in the Premier League so far this campaign and Southampton will not be looking forward to playing against him this weekend.

The Brazilian has been in inspired form for much of the campaign and thanks to his goals, assists and all-around play, Liverpool have shot to the top of the table.

He is often given a free role, and so his position on the right-hand side of the attack will simply serve as a benchmark.

He’ll be hoping to keep things going against the Saints and you wouldn’t rule out a couple more goals for him either.

ST – Roberto Firmino

It was great to see Daniel Sturridge back amongst the goals for England last week but in this Liverpool side, there’s is only man leading the line at the moment.

Roberto Firmino has been moved up the pitch by Jurgen Klopp and has been absolutely superb this campaign, causing havoc with his skill and pace up front.

LW – Sadio Mane

It was another accomplished performance from Sadio Mane in the win over Watford and he continues to show why he could be one of the signings of the summer.

He’s another former Southampton player who will be lining up against his former team but he, like the rest of his colleagues, will be looking to further their lead at the top-of-the-table.