Liverpool vs. Brighton: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

On Saturday afternoon, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion will meet at Anfield to compete for valuable Premier League points. This match occurs three days after a thrilling five-goal thriller in the EFL Cup.

On Wednesday, the Reds advanced to the round of 16 after defeating Fabian Hurzeler's team 3-2. However, following last weekend's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, Arne Slot's men found themselves behind Manchester City in the Premier League rankings.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

The general public would have thought Liverpool's early withdrawal from the EFL Cup wouldn't have been catastrophic, as is typical for Big Six teams. However, the Reds are still in contention for a record-extending eleventh title due to their impressive performances on the South Coast.

Dutch sensation Cody Gakpo continued his love affair with the 2024–25 EFL Cup with two vital goals in the second half, giving him three for the tournament. However, Luis Diaz ensured that Simon Adingra and Tariq Lamptey's goals would be consolation prizes.

Before heading to Southampton for the quarterfinals, Slot's men face a daunting November schedule. The international break will give them a break, but then they face Real Madrid in two massive Champions League matches and Bayer Leverkusen in another.

Last weekend's four-goal draw with Arsenal—in which they rallied from two goals down to salvage a point—caused the Merseyside giants to lose first place in the Premier League rankings. However, they will regain the top spot if they can beat Bournemouth and surpass Manchester City's result.

Slot may have suffered his lone loss in competition in September at Anfield against Nottingham Forest. Still, since then, Liverpool have won four in a row at Anfield, scoring multiple goals in each of their victories over Bournemouth, West Ham United, Bologna, and Chelsea.

Brighton's goals in Wednesday's EFL Cup match came from penalties given to Jarell Quansah. Still, the exact defensive breakdown that cost them in Premier League game nine against Wolverhampton Wanderers again cost them in this match.

The Seagulls seemed to cruise to a comfortable victory against Gary O'Neil's squad thanks to Danny Welbeck and Evan Ferguson. Still, Wolves fought back fiercely via Rayan Ait-Nouri, who doubled the lead, and a last-ditch, deflected goal from Matheus Cunha sent the away fans into a frenzy.

In the 94th minute, Brighton would have moved into the top four of the Premier League had Mats Wieffer—who reunites with his old Feyenoord coach Slot this weekend—squandered a four-on-one attacking position. Cunha then prevented them from a third consecutive victory.

The away team's dedication to entertaining neutrals and their sixth-place finish under the Premier League's youngest-ever permanent manager are both worthy of praise. Brighton has scored 30 goals in their previous seven games, with an average of more than four goals per match.

On six occasions during that seven-game run, Brighton has scored twice and conceded twice. Wednesday's loss was their third in their past ten encounters against Liverpool, with the other two being a 2-1 loss in this match in 2023-24.

Liverpool x Brighton Team News

In midweek, Conor Bradley left the Liverpool medical room after completing a complete 90 minutes; nevertheless, Harvey Elliott (foot), Diogo Jota (abdominal), Federico Chiesa (fitness), and Alisson Becker (hamstring) remain out with injuries.

Slot has not indicated whether any of the injured four will be back in time for the international break—he simply said "no" when asked whether Jota would return in the next two weeks—but he does have some substitution choices.

It will be intriguing to watch whether Kostas Tsimikas is chosen as the left-back instead of Andy Robertson, who started against Brighton and Arsenal. The Dutchman rotated many players in midweek and will likely begin with Alexis Mac Allister, Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, and Darwin Nunez, among others.

While all was going on, Brighton's defensive efforts against Liverpool on Wednesday were hindered by Lewis Dunk's absence. Dunk injured his calf during warm-ups for the Wolves game, and his availability for Saturday's meeting is also uncertain.

While Yankuba Minteh and Joao Pedro are both out with injuries, Solly March, James Milner, Matt O'Riley, and Adam Webster are all limited to the visitors' infirmary with knee, thigh, ankle, and thigh problems, respectively.

On a more positive note, Georginio Rutter is free to play again after being sidelined with a slight injury last week; he and Danny Welbeck may resume their offensive connection. Meanwhile, Jack Hinshelwood might return to midfield immediately after coming off the bench on Wednesday.

Our Predictions

Liverpool to win and over 3.5 goals @ 1.69 on Sky247.ng.

Whenever Hurzeler's Brighton is on the field, it's typically an inevitable conclusion that goals will be scored on both ends. However, the Seagulls' offensive prowess from midweek should be rendered moot against the Premier League's most formidable defense.

Even though Bayer Leverkusen is on the horizon, Slot will likely resort to his best possible starting eleven. Therefore, Liverpool should go back to winning ways in the Premier League with no trouble.

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