Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool
Date: 12/01/2019
K/O: 15.00
Venue: The Amex
Referee: Kevin Friend
Liverpool travel to the South Coast fresh off the back of their first league defeat of the season alongside exiting the FA Cup in the third round, courtesy of a clinical performance from Wolves. Jurgen Klopp’s side will face a Brighton squad who continue to defy expectations in their second season of Premier League football, sitting 13th with 26 points.
The Merseysiders were unable to continue their emulation of Arsene Wenger’s ‘Invincible’ 2003/04 title-winning team, as they fell short with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of fellow title challengers Manchester City.
After a testing and exhausting period of festive fixtures, Liverpool simply could not continue their phenomenal 20-game unbeaten streak in the league, as goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane inflicted a damaging defeat on the title prospects of Klopp’s side, closing the gap to four points in the process.
Liverpool were unable to bounce back immediately from their league defeat to City, as Klopp fielded an inexperienced side for the trip to Molineux, resulting in a 2-1 defeat with goals from Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves.
The Reds are yet to progress past the fourth round of the FA Cup in the Klopp era, though understandably there are more important prizes at stake, and they will hope their quest to secure a first league title in over 28 years can resume at the Amex on Saturday.
For Brighton, however, they will be aiming to secure just their second win in seven league matches, after a promising start to their second season of Premier League football has begun to stall. The Seagulls have been in fine form throughout the 2018/19 campaign, and to be just 14 points short of the 40 point mark with 17 matches remaining is testament to the job Chris Hughton has done on the South Coast.
Saturday’s clash is of huge importance for both sides in fulfiling their respective aims, but if Liverpool are to truly respond and regain momentum in the race for the title, three points against Hughton’s side are not preferable but paramount.
Team News
Brighton
Brighton’s Bernardo has been ruled out of Saturday’s clash with a hamstring injury, meaning Gaetan Bong could be set to continue in his deputising at left-back.
Jose Izquierdo is set to continue his spell on the sidelines with a knee problem, whilst Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Mat Ryan have travelled with Iran and Australia respectively to the Asian Cup.
Players including Martin Montoya, Lewis Dunk, Pascal Gross, Davy Propper and Solly March could be set for a recall having been rested in the FA Cup victory over rivals Bournemouth.
Aside from Bernardo and Izquierdo in relation to injuries, Hughton has a fully fit squad to select from ahead of Saturday’s clash against Liverpool.
Liverpool
Centre-back Dejan Lovren has been ruled out of action for at least the next two weeks, meaning Fabinho could continue filling at centre-back as he did in the defeat against Wolves.
Joel Matip returned to training on Thursday, providing Klopp with huge relief in the midst of a relative centre-half crisis at Anfield, as Joe Gomez continues his rehabilitation with a view to returning to the starting XI in the next six weeks.
Despite recently returning from injury, Adam Lallana remains on the sidelines with a knock, as the Liverpool medical staff remain cautious of agitating the Englishman’s groin strain that led to him being out of action for 33 days earlier this season. Jordan Henderson returned to training on Friday but Saturday’s clash may be too soon for the Liverpool midfielder.
Klopp is expected to name a full-strength side having rested numerous key players for the FA Cup tie, including Virgil Van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold, meaning Liverpool’s backline can be expected to resume its full strength for the trip to the Amex.
Predicted Starting XIs
Brighton (4-3-3): Button; Montoya, Dunk, Duffy, Bong; Gross, Stephens, Propper; March, Murray, Locadia.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Fabinho, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Milner; Shaqiri, Firmino, Mane; Salah.
Prediction: Brighton 0 Liverpool 3
After consecutive losses to Manchester City and Wolves, this game takes on a new dimension of importance for Klopp and Liverpool as they look to resume business as usual and continue their charge for the title. The likes of Salah, Firmino and Mane simply must step up in games like this if Liverpool are to dispel any notion that they could let the title get away from them, and the resumption of their momentum must commence on Saturday at the Amex.
