Arne Slot has urged Liverpool's fans to help the players against Southampton after their midweek exertions against Paris Saint-Germain, and has offered to get some songs going himself in the stands.
The Reds' head coach serves the final match of his two-game touchline ban on Saturday and is calling for a big atmosphere at Anfield as the Premier League leaders go again, just three days after a demanding 1-0 away win over PSG in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
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"The fans understand how important they are going to be tomorrow," he said in his pre-match press conference.
"I'm hoping they will not come into the stadium five minutes before the kick-off, I'm hoping the whole stadium is already completely filled half an hour before kick-off and that these players get the reward for what they did in Paris for working so hard.
"They have great songs. Sometimes when I look at social media I see these songs coming for Lucho [Luis Diaz], for Virgil [van Dijk] and for Macca [Alexis Mac Allister].
"They are really creative in these songs and now let's hear them before the game tomorrow, although I'm in the stands. Maybe I can start them with Isaac [Kearney, a young Liverpool superfan]."
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
32 | +43 | 76 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
32 | +30 | 63 |
| 3 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
32 | +13 | 57 |
Slot has made three changes from Wednesday's Champions League match against PSG for the visit of Southampton at Anfield, ahead of the second leg against PSG on Tuesday and then the EFL Cup final against Newcastle United five days later. But the Dutchman is adamant he is still picking the best possible line-up against Saints.
"This [is the] first of three finals to be played in the upcoming week," he said on Friday.
"If there was three, four, five days in between the last game and this one I would have probably started the same XI again, even if there was only two days in between for the next one.
"There is only two days in between, and we had to fight really hard, and it's not the first game after being out for three or four weeks. It’s probably the 50th game in three months."
Slot is aware of the physical exertion that was required of his players against PSG in midweek, with his team spending much of the match on the back foot.
"It's definitely something you take into account, because you can only look at the data and probably they run just as much as some other games," said Slot.
"But there's a difference if you have 70 per cent ball possession or you have only 30 per cent ball possession. That means the runs you have to make are more from a negative mindset. If they have the ball all the time, it's not as nice as if you have the ball yourself.
"You do take that into account as well and, of course, three or four months without any break, you take these things into account as well.
"That's why, of course, I was not only happy with the goal Harvey [Elliott] scored because that gives us a good advantage for the second game, but it mentally helps a lot as well to score that goal.
"So, we are in a good place. Three finals to be played and it is a week to look forward to for every Liverpool fan.
"I know the final is there, and everybody is already talking to me about how the atmosphere will be on a Champions League night. But I hope, I truly hope, that our fans will be loudest tomorrow and not in the final and not against PSG - but tomorrow."
