Saints and Liverpool legend Jimmy Case doesn’t believe this weekend’s clash between his former clubs will be make or break for their top four hopes, and thinks predicting who will secure a coveted Champions League spot is like “trying to predict a horse race”.

Case who won four league titles, three European Cups and a UEFA Cup as part of the all conquering Liverpool team of the 1970s and early 80s before spending six years at Saints, watches every Reds match as part of his punditry work with BBC Merseyside.

He insists Liverpool are a changed side to the one that beat Saints 2-1 at Anfield on the opening day, but feels that Ronald Koeman’s men have every chance of pushing on for a top four place, no matter how this Sunday’s game goes.

He said: “From a Liverpool point of view this is a similar game to the one they just had against Tottenham, where you are playing a team in and around you in terms of league position and points.

“Liverpool need to win to get closer to Southampton and the top four.

“These type of games at this stage of the season have a bigger emphasis on the result, however you get it, and both teams are playing very very well.

“Liverpool have Daniel Sturridge back now and he gives them an extra dimension.

“If a chance presents itself in terms of a goalscoring opportunity, he’s more likely to score it.

“The confidence is back for them.

“If you go back two months ago the defence is still not that great but a lot more confident than they were.

“For all of that though, I’m more than pleased with the way Southampton’s season has gone so far.

“A lot of people expected them to fall away a little bit and they haven’t and they’re there on merit.

“I read an article in a paper saying ‘why don’t you get back to where you belong, in midtable’.

“They are gradually chapping away and dispelling that. They have a right to be there at that level.

“I’m proud to be associated with them and the way the club has changed.”

Though fans are inevitably talking about the season as if we are in the final stages, Case insists from a player’s mindset there is still a long way to go, and therefore trying to predict who might edge out those Champions League and Europa League roles is too hard at this stage.

“It’s difficult. It’s so easy to fall away,” he reflected.

“At this stage of the season it’s like a roll of the dice.

“Look at the Chelsea situation where they get Diego Costa banned for three games – anything can happen.

“Saints lost Victor Wanyama, who is very important for the shape of the team, and a few others at the same time and that is a blow.

“It’s so so difficult.

“I think after Easter you can look at it and the run-ins. Who’s to say they (Saints) can’t hang in there because they’ve got the squad.

“You don’t get beyond Christmas and be in the top four for nothing.

“It’s a long season and they are probably feeling it now, but they can push on.

“It’s all about experience and how you cope with it.

“Sammy Lee has been there and Ronald Koeman is a great manager, who has really impressed me with the way he conducts himself.”

Encouragingly for Saints fans, Case doesn’t expect the team to have a substantial downturn in form between now and the end of the season.

“Whether it’s one way or the other I don’t think they will dip massively,” he admitted.

“It’s so difficult, it’s like trying to predict a horse race.

“Just looking from the outside they’ve got every chance.

“I’d love it to happen, for them and Liverpool to get in.”

Case is well placed to assess the three former Saints stars who will be on show at St Mary’s at the weekend.

Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Dejan Lovren moved to Anfield in the summer for combined fees of not far short of £50m.

“They haven’t really featured to be honest in any great way,” he said. “Lovren has been in and out and had an injury.

“Rickie has been used from the bench most of the time and I think that was probably the understanding anyway.

“Adam Lallana has been injured but we know what he can do.

“He was the one of the best players in a couple of games when the team was awful but there are competition for places and none of them are guaranteed a spot.

“Some players have performed very well, like Philippe Coutinho, Jordan Henderson, Emre Can.

“I would say that they’ve been in and around but not holding down a position.

“When you look at Adam, there is competition for the forward positions and the midfield situation.

“With Daniel Sturridge back and Raheem Sterling playing as one of the two behind the one striker there is only one spot and Coutinho has been doing well.

“That said, Adam has had a few games of late and he has done very well.”