Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that Southampton's season is not over, despite sitting midtable with 11 games left to play.

The team sit ninth in the Premier League table ahead of this weekend's fixtures, 11 points off the European places and 15 clear of the relegation zone.

The manager told reporters: "I don't think the season's over. I disagree with that assessment. The motivation is always there to play well, to get the three points tomorrow, especially against a very tough team that's actually a candidate to win the Premier League, a candidate that's looking to get into the Champions League.

"We also have the motivation to recover the position that we lost last week against West Ham. We have that massive motivation inside of us to recover that position.

"I think football is passion, it demands motivation, it demands focus, and our focus is always the same. What I would say to the fans is, as I'm sure they will, come in full force tomorrow, with full voice, always support the team as they always do, and hopefully we can reward them with a victory against Liverpool."

Southampton host Liverpool tomorrow evening.