Liverpool has traveled to St Mary's Stadium facing Southampton for their second match of the new Premier League season.
The Reds won the UEFA Super Cup with an exhausting penalty shootout win over Chelsea in Istanbul on Wednesday evening, as the Jurgen Klopp handed another European trophy to the Enfield faithful, with the Sadio Man doubled to a 2-2 draw.
This midweek win began the team's strong performance by promoting the campaign 212/21 after beating Norwich City 4-1 in the league's screen-raiser on Friday. On the contrary, opponents Southampton endured a disappointing start to the year as they beat Burnley to Turf Moore 3-0.
Klopp will be without first-choice goalkeeper Allison, who will be sidelined for several weeks after losing his calf during a win against Norwich. The absence of both Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Klein deprived him of further defensive reinforcements.
The Croatian center-back is recovering from illness, though his teammate will be out of action before the 2020 deep pre-season tearing off his anterior cruciate ligament. Meanwhile, Nabi Keita faces competition against time to be fit to face the Saints after being involved in training this week.
One of these two scintillating games took place in April, with Liverpool overcoming the early deficit of leaving the South Coast with three points. While the outcome ultimately proved unnecessary to the destiny of the Premier League title, the win showed Mercer's determination and unwavering confidence.
