Table-topping Liverpool welcome European-chasing Brighton & Hove Albion to the North West of England for an exciting Premier League encounter.
It will be a spectacle for the neutrals when Liverpool face Brighton for what is sure to be an end-to-end clash between two attack-minded sides. Par for the course, there are also massive points at stake with both clubs looking to cling on to favorable league positions.
The Seagulls are undefeated in their last four games against Liverpool in all competitions and this will go right down to the wire as the last two Liverpool vs Brighton fixtures at Anfield also ended in a draw.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have been magnificent this season despite an opening draw against Chelsea pointing little in the way of a direction. Liverpool won all of their next five league games and the eventual defeat to Tottenham Hotspur was a vindication of their resilience as poor officiating cost them points despite having two players sent off.
While they beat Everton, Nottingham Forest, and Brentford, draws against Brighton, Luton Town, and Manchester City highlighted the teething issues they have defensively. December nevertheless started with consecutive wins against Fulham, Sheffield United, and Crystal Palace but they drew key head-to-head clashes against Manchester United and Arsenal.
Liverpool then beat Burnley 2-0 on Boxing Day before getting the better of Newcastle in a New Year’s Day epic. The Reds have cruised into the Last 16 of the Europa League, booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and have one foot in the Carabao Cup final with a comeback 2-1 win at home to Fulham.
They beat Bournemouth 4-0 thanks to two goals each from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota and will be focused on the title race after returning from the winter break in great form. Certainly, Man City are the team to beat in the league and wins are the standard from now till the end of the campaign.
It is pertinent that they do not slip up and maximum points are the only requirement against Brighton.
The Albion have made a bright start to the campaign themselves in what is their first-ever foray into European football. Roberto De Zerbi oversaw a stunning transformation after replacing Graham Potter as he made the South Coast side one of the most exciting teams in the country.
Things went according to plan in their first two games of this season as Luton Town and Wolves were both beaten by emphatic 4-1 scorelines. Although West Ham humbled the AMEX Stadium crowd with a 3-1 defeat, Brighton kept up their impressive goalscoring feats with successive 3-1 victories over Newcastle and Manchester United.
However, results went slightly downhill as the Seagulls failed to win six consecutive top-flight games during which they also lost to Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Liverpool. This was all until a Joao Pedro penalty decided a 3-2 victory against Nottingham Forest but they lost to Chelsea by the same scoreline the following weekend.
Having grabbed four points from nine available against Brentford, Burnley, and Arsenal, they went unbeaten in the next five matches in all competitions. Brighton’s first clean sheets of the league season were also recorded in back-to-back games against West Ham and Wolves and they will be feeling confident about themselves.
Roberto De Zerbi’s men must find consistency in the second half of the season and a trip to Anfield would particularly test their resolve. Yet, their ability to grab a result there cannot be doubted.
Match tickets
This must-see game is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 30 2024 with kick-off set for 3 PM UK time. Match tickets are on sale via each club’s website and only Liverpool members who registered and are successful in the ballot can buy tickets online from 8:15 PM on Friday 26 January until 7:30 AM on Monday 29 January.
Liverpool always attracts a full house at Anfield and the capacity of 61,276 should be allocated with tickets which means that getting them via official channels would prove difficult. Hence, traveling supporters who are desperate to attend the match can still do so if they check for their Liverpool vs Brighton tickets on a ticket resale site.
Team news
Liverpool has a building injury list that is bad news for their title hopes with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai becoming the latest to join Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak, Joel Matip, and Kostas Tsimikas in the treatment room.
Mohamed Salah got injured on AFCON duty while Wataru Endo is currently also with his national side but should be available against Brighton.
For the South Coast side, Solly March, Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey, Julio Enciso, Igor Julio, Kaoru Mitoma, and Ansu Fati are their injury casualties at the time of writing.
Line-ups
Liverpool should have recovered some injured players which means they can field a strong side regardless of their key absences. Andy Robertson should feature from left-back which aids his team’s chances as they have missed his leadership and attacking impetus.
Liverpool: Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Gravenberch, MacAllister, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Brighton will be delighted with the return of Pervis Estupinan to the left side of defense following a long spell out injured. Facundo Buonanotte is another who has impressed during his spell in the team and he should get a start at Anfield.
Brighton: Verbruggen; Veltman, Webster, Dunk, Estupinan; Gilmour, Groß, Milner; Pedro, Buonanotte, Ferguson
Prediction
Liverpool are the favorites to win this match given their league position, form as well as the support of the Anfield crowd. Nevertheless, Brighton will be fighting hard for the points and this will be a rollercoaster game with plenty of talking points.
A tactical showpiece awaits, and it will be decided which team takes scoring chances and defends their box better. Because of this, the hosts have better quality in their ranks and the pressure of the title race could see them edge this encounter.
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
