THE BUSY fixture schedule continues for the Reds, but the Liverpool boss insists that their game tomorrow is as important as any.
There may be 19 places and 58 points separating Liverpool and Southampton, but that does not mean Arne Slot will approach it any differently.
His side have had just two days to recover from their gruelling smash-and-grab win in Paris midweek, with the second leg, and then the Carabao Cup Final, still to come next week.
Despite this, the Liverpool manager insisted that their game against Southampton is more important than both of them.
He said: “The game against Southampton is by far the most important. Not only because it’s the first one we play, but because it is a very very important one for us.
“‘I have to convince my players we play three finals and I am hoping that I influence our fans so they understand how important they are going to be.
“I hope they [the fans] will not come into the stadium five minutes before kick-off, I’m hoping the stadium is already filled half-an-hour before so these players get the reward for what they did in Paris.
“I know the final is there and everyone is already talking to me about how the atmosphere will be on a Champions League night but truly I hope our fans will be at their loudest tomorrow.”
Tactical changes and not ‘resting’
With huge games on the horizon, many managers would see a game at home to bottom of the league as an opportunity to rest their key players.
However, with this match coming just two full days after their Champions League outing, Slot suggested that the changes he makes is down to tactical reasons and not for individuals to rest.
He said: “If I make the choice to play other players, that is because it is the biggest chance to win the game tomorrow and not to rest them for Paris Saint-Germain.
“The only reason I’ll make changes is because it comes two days after PSG and playing someone else is the better option as we have many players of equal qualities.
“It only has to do with us getting the bigger change of winning against Southampton and has nothing to do with the Paris Saint-Germain game. If there were three, four or even five days between these games, I probably would have chosen the same lineup.
“We know what to expect from PSG and Newcastle, but the most important game is tomorrow against Southampton.”
