Brighton v Liverpool – Preview, Predictions, and Best Bets

Brighton face Liverpool Both sides are coming off losses in the league and they’re separated by one point after seven matches. The Seagulls have won their last two home matches vs. The Reds and have lost just once in the last seven meetings.

Brighton Form

The start to the season was incredible but coach Roberto De Zerbi openly said this week that his side is not currently playing well. After sublime 3-1 wins at home to Newcastle and away at Man Utd, they were beaten 3-2 at home by AEK Athens in the Europa League. A second-half comeback saw a 3-1 home win over Bournemouth to bounce back.

They’re since winless in three matches with two losses. A 1-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Chelsea preceded a 6-1 humiliation at Aston Villa. They were 3-0 down after 26 minutes and then conceded three times in the final 25 minutes. On Thursday, they trailed 2-0 at Marseille in the Europa League after a poor first half. A strong response saw it finish 2-2 for a valuable away point.

Brighton Team News

De Zerbi is rotating his squad heavily from match to match. The injuries are also starting to build up. At left back, Pervis Estupinan faces several weeks on the treatment table with Tariq Lamptey set to deputise. Adam Lallana and James Milner are only set to return after the international break.

Julio Enciso remains out long-term. We could see Evan Ferguson and Joao Pedro start in attack with Danny Welbeck and Ansu Fati dropping to the bench. Billy Gilmour looks set to come into the XI in central midfield.

Brighton Motivation

In weeks with two matches, Brighton tends to look tired and really struggle. They will play their usual style but may lack some energy and focus.

A draw would be a good result in the circumstances, but De Zerbi doesn’t think that way. It will be an open game with plenty of space for the Reds to enjoy.

Liverpool Form

The Reds were 17 league matches unbeaten in the Premier League before their 2-1 defeat at Tottenham last weekend. They fought admirably with ten men and then nine men and also had a legitimate goal incorrectly ruled out. Their first six league matches of this term brought five wins and a draw and they had won seven successive matches in all competitions before the Spurs defeat.

A famous 2-1 win with ten men at Newcastle came before a 3-0 home win over Aston Villa. Another comeback win followed at Wolves (3-1) before a 3-1 win over LASK in the Europa League. Both West Ham and Leicester (Carabao Cup) were dispatched by the same scoreline. On Thursday, they beat Royal Union Saint-Gilloise 2-0 in the Europa League at Anfield.

Liverpool Team News

Jurgen Klopp has Trent Alexander-Arnold back from injury in midweek. He is set to start this match with Virgil Van Dijk and Andy Robertson also returning after being unused subs in Europe. Curtis Jones is suspended after his red card against Spurs so Ryan Gravenberch may be handed a start.

In attack, Luis Diaz is fresh and will play. Darwin Nunez will lead the line as Diogo Jota serves a one-match ban for a red card. Cody Gakpo is very doubtful after an injury last Sunday whilst Thiago Alcantara is still absent in midfield.

Liverpool Motivation

Considering the number of players given rests over the weekend, it is clear that this match was the priority. They will go all out to win and close the gap to the log leaders.

Motivation should be high after feeling wronged by the events at Tottenham. Brighton plays an open game so Klopp’s side could be a little less focused on possession and look to exploit transitions a lot more.

Key Stats

Brighton have won their last 2 home matches vs. Liverpool in all competitions.

Brighton are the league’s top goalscorers with 19 goals (14 conceded, 33 total goals in 7 matches)

Brighton have lost 3 of their last 5 matches.

Liverpool have lost 1 of their last 18 league matches (12 wins, 5 draws)

Liverpool have scored exactly 3 goals in 5 of their last 7 matches.

Liverpool’s last 7 matches vs Brighton have seen just 1 win.

Verdict

This should be a very open and enjoyable match. Brighton are scoring and leaking goals for fun with 4.71 goals per game in the league this season. Liverpool are playing well and are more equipped to perform for two matches in a week. I see an away win here.