BOSS Ralph Hasenhuttl insisted Saints would “be brave” when they head to Liverpool looking to record a league double on Saturday.

Saints secured an impressive 1-0 home win over the Reds at St Mary’s back in January, Danny Ings’s goal proving the difference against his former club.

Asked what it would mean to do a league double over his friend, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, Hasenhuttl said: “I think it was an amazing game we had against them here at home with the win.

“The problem was that I think we celebrated so much that after this game we didn’t win for six or seven games!

“But it was a special win for us, and although they are not now top of the table, they are still a very tough opponent to play against, but a lot of teams have shown this season that it is possible to go there and take something.

“We go there to be brave and also looking for our chance.”

Liverpool have seen their title aspirations diminish during the second half of the season, with their hopes of the top four also looking bleak.

Quizzed on how he felt Klopp would have taken the Merseysiders’ dip, the Saints boss said: “It’s hard to take for him, and for him it was a tough season also.

“But for me it was not so surprising after the effort they have put in in the last two or three years, to find the biggest target they have with the Premier League title after such a long time.

“And then with the injury problems, they were struggling, like we also had after Christmas, where we had sometimes a lot of injuries in crucial positions.

“There is a reason why Virgil van Dijk is an important player for them, and it’s not also easy for Liverpool to say we are strong without him.

“I think this injury problem definitely cost him (Klopp) a lot of points this season, but when you know him and you know the quality of his side, then I think it’s only a matter of time before they come back to be competitive on the highest level.”