Liverpool are returning from the international break in some unfamiliar territory as Jurgen Klopps side enters Saturdays clash with Southampton at St. Marys Stadium on top of the Premier League table with 26 points.The Reds also will try to run their unbeaten stretch to an impressive 13 games over all competitions.Liverpools lone defeat came in an uncharacteristic 2-0 slip to Burnley in which they held nearly 80 percent of possession, yet failed to get one past keeper Tom Heaton.The Reds (8-2-1) have already collected away wins against Chelsea and Arsenal, and managed draws versus Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur away from home. With Chelsea, Manchester City and the Gunners all within two points, the fixtures in December and January will go a long way toward deciding if Liverpool can widen their lead at the top.Beginning with this fixture, the Reds have a stretch of winnable matches against the likes of Sunderland, Bournemouth, West Ham, Middlesbrough, Everton, Stoke City and a home date with Man City on New Years Eve.If they want to remain at the summit by the turn of the year, Klopps boys will have to continue to churn out stellar performances similar to the way they dismantled Watford, 6-1, at Anfield prior to the break.Liverpools feared midfield core of Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have been the stars of the show thus far. They did plenty of damage against the struggling Hornets as Mane hit for a brace to go with goals from Firmino and Coutinho.Emre Can and Georginio Wijnaldum also scored during the rout.Liverpool have seemingly been the talk of the league, but the Klopp insists he does not listen to the noise coming from outside the walls of the clubs Melwood training ground.Of course, its better that they think something like this, than they say thank God its Liverpool at the weekend, so quite an easy game, Klopp told Goal.com. But in the end its not a big value for us, what other teams think about us -- its good and its positive but not too important.The main thing is that we actually think about ourselves: Yeah, we are quite a good team. We have big expectations on ourselves and Im not pessimistic, Im really optimistic, but I dont like to make these positive assessments all the time and say we are really good -- my God, how good are we?The Reds could be missing one of those midfield cogs as Lallanas status for Saturday is not yet known after he limped off the pitch in midweek during Englands 2-2 draw with Spain in a friendly.Southampton find themselves in decent position upon returning from the international break in 10th place. Claude Puels Saints (3-4-4) are aiming to snap a three-match winless run following a 2-1 defeat to Hull City at KCOM Stadium prior to the international hiatus.Charlie Austin converted a penalty after six minutes to stake the visitors to an early lead, but Robert Snodgrass and Michael Dawson struck in the span of two second-half minutes to secure the points for Hull.Cardiff City forward Rickie Lambert, who has played with Southampton and Liverpool during his career, sees this as a tight fixture.Its going to be a great game and a hard one to call, he told Premier League Productions. Liverpools unbelievable going forward at the moment but I think Southampton are one of the strongest teams defensively and as a team, going forward and defending, Southampton are a very, very good team.Southampton have conceded 12 league goals and are allowing a league-low 9.4 shots per contest. Theyll need to find a way to contain Liverpools attacking power if they hope to get a result.Each of the past eight matches in this fixture have seen a winner, with Southampton winning five and Liverpool winning three. Southampton collected four points against Liverpool last season, including a 3-2 home win in March. The sides drew 1-1 at Anfield in October. Cheap Discount Shoes Online . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Cheap Clearance Shoes Online . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. http://www.cheapshoesfastshipping.com/ . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Wholesale Shoes China Free Shipping . "I was fortunate to play many years at this level with a great organization and unbelievable teammates," said Hejduk in a statement. Cheap Shoes Fast Shipping . The Hall of Fame defenceman told Landsberg that he believes fighting still has a place in todays game, but thinks staged fighting needs be outlawed. TORONTO -- With their run to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals last spring, Raptors guards DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry received a detailed education in playoff basketball. En route to gold at the Summer Olympics in Rio, Torontos All-Star teammates got what coach Dwane Casey considers the best graduate course they could take.Now, as a new season approaches, DeRozan and Lowry hope theyll get a shot to finish at the top of the NBA heap and earn that coveted class ring.Me personally, I think its time, Lowry said as Toronto opened training camp Monday. I want a ring, I want to win a championship.Five years after going 22-60, the Raptors won a franchise-record 56 games last season and captured their third straight Atlantic Division title. They advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2001 with a Game 7 victory over Indiana, then pushed past Miami in another Game 7 to reach the conference finals, winning Games 3 and 4 at home to even things up with eventual champion Cleveland.It taught us a lot about our basketball abilities, Lowry said of the deepest postseason run in Raptors history. It taught us the mental capacity we have to have, the physical strength and the body maintenance we have to have. It taught us a whole lot and it definitely prepared us for the upcoming season. Rio actually helped us even more. I know (DeMar) feels really good about his game and the level hes playing at, and I feel good about the level Im playing at.Its never being satisfied with `OK, we did this. Whats next? Weve got to find it. Weve got to figure out whats next and get to that next level.Besides his gold medal, DeRozan earned further riches with the five-year, $139 million deal he signed to stay in Toronto without testing the free-agent market. But all summer long, armed with his new understanding of the playoff blueprint, DeRozan burned to get back to work in Toronto.Ass crazy as it sounds, even during the Olympics as we were playing and practicing, at the same time I was working toward this season, understanding what I need to do to get better, DeRozan said.dddddddddddd. Working on my body, working on everything that needs to be done for me to be able to withstand another long season and get back to the point we were at. It was great having my teammate there at the same time and being able to talk about what we need to do to be better.Casey, who received a three-year, $18 million extension this offseason, continues to be impressed with the maturation of his two main stars.Theyre growing up, Casey said. Theyre men now. I can just see the confidence over the past few years, not just last year, of them establishing themselves as two of the top players in the league, establishing this team. No longer do they have to go out and prove that theyre two of the top players.Both Lowry and DeRozan struggled offensively at times during the playoffs, but each battled through tough stretches to provide key performances later on. Their will to win impressed forward Jared Sullinger when the Raptors came calling in free agency.These guys didnt care about stats, said Sullinger, who left Boston for a one-year deal with Toronto. What they cared about was winning and they found a way to win every freaking night. Thats what separates them from a lot of the teams that went out and tried to get me.Raptors president Masai Ujiri, who signed off on Torontos summer spending, considered it necessary after watching several conference rivals swap stars and restock rosters.The East got better, Ujiri said. People talk about the West and talk about the West. Well, the East is creeping up now. We recognize that its going to be harder. ' ' '