Southampton turn their attention away from the Championship promotion race for a brief period on Wednesday night.
Ultimately, that battle to secure a return to the Premier League ought to be their top priority this season.
However, Russell Martin‘s side also have the chance to claim a scalp here, which could kickstart their campaign again, after their recent dip in form.
Southampton have lost three of their last four in the league, and now face a tough task in the cup as well.
They are set to visit Anfield to face a Liverpool side who will be on a high, after their win in the League Cup final on Sunday.
That game, could also see the Saints come up against one of their former players on Merseyside.
Virgil van Dijk in line to face his old club
While Liverpool have a whole host of players absent through injury for this game, Virgil van Dijk is not one of them.
With a lack of options in the vast majority of those positions, the Dutchman may be in line to start once again on Wednesday night.
That would of course, bring him up against his former club. Back in the summer of 2015, van Dijk signed for Southampton from Celtic for a reported £13million.
Over the next two-and-a-half years, the centre back was a key man for the Saints. He made 80 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring seven goals.
During that time he helped Southampton to remain a well-established Premier League club. That prompted Liverpool to make him the World’s most expensive defender in January 2018.
The Reds completed the signing of van Dijk for a fee of £75million in that transfer window. To this day, it is the biggest fee the Saints have ever received for a single player.
The Dutchman has been with Liverpool ever since. He has now made over 250 appearances for the Anfield club in all competitions, winning numerous trophies.
Also club captain, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp recently described van Dijk as ‘super-important’ to his side, even at the age of 33.
Could he haunt Southampton tonight?
Given their lack of alternative options, and the fact Klopp will surely want to win as many trophies as possible in his final season at Anfield, it would be no surprise if van Dijk starts against Southampton.
Indeed, the centre back has already made 30 appearances in all competitions for the Reds this season.
According to SofaScore, van Dijk has won 1.1 tackles and made 1.2 interceptions per game in the Premier League this season. He has also made 4.4 clearances per game and recovered the ball an average of 5.3 times per match.
As a result, it may be difficult for Southampton’s attacking options to get much of a chance against him.
He will also be a threat from set-pieces in attack, as we saw on Sunday. The Dutchman fired home two brilliant headers during that match, the first of which was somewhat controversially ruled out for offside.
With that in mind, Southampton will have to pay close attention to van Dijk in both penalty areas at Anfield on Wednesday.
The match at Anfield is due to kick-off at 8:00pm on Wednesday night.