Team News
Both sides come into this game with very few definite injury absentees. Liverpool will once again be without right-back Nathaniel Clyne, rather forgotten about with the continued excellent form of Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is a long-term absentee with a back injury. Adam Lallana and Ragnar Klavan are in line for recalls as well after missing the midweek win at Stoke as precautionary measures.
Brighton can call on the services of full-back Gaetan Bong again after he missed their midweek draw with Crystal Palace due to a minor knee issue. They will definitely be without midfielder Steve Sidwell however who is their long-term absentee.
Form
Liverpool have been on fire in the Premier League in the last five games with last Saturday’s draw with Chelsea being their only dropped points in that time frame. The midweek 3-0 win at Stoke leaves the Reds sitting fifth in the Premier League table heading into this one.
After a shaky start, Brighton have been fairly solid in the Premier League. They sit 10th heading into this weekend and haven’t lost at home in the league since their opening day defeat to Manchester City.
Players To Watch
Mohamed Salah – The Egyptian has been an absolute revelation for Liverpool, scoring for fun and he is currently the Premier League’s top scorer with 12 goals.
Pascal Gross – One of a number of astute summer signings by Chris Hughton, Gross has been instrumental in Brighton’s early season success. They will need him to be at his creative best to get something from this one.
Previous Meetings
The last league meeting between was back in 1983 at Brighton’s old home, Goldstone Ground. It finished 2-2. The last competitive game between the sides was five years ago in the FA Cup at Anfield. That finished 6-1 to the Reds.
Prediction
This is a difficult game to predict even with Liverpool’s hot streak. Brighton showed at Old Trafford that they are a solid, well-drilled unit and the Amex is a tough place to go. If Liverpool can keep the crowd quiet and stay strong defensively then I think that a 2-0 or 3-0 scoreline could be on the cards.
That being said, I think it will finish 1-1 in the end with Salah and Glenn Murray getting on the scoresheet.
