Brighton are the visitors as the controversy surrounding Mohamed Salah once again comes to the fore in Liverpool's first match at Anfield since his comments about Arne Slot.
After their 3-0 hammering at home to Nottingham Forest and 4-1 loss to PSV Eindhoven, the Reds have taken five points from games against West Ham, Sunderland and Leeds.
Something of a statement was made in midweek as the Reds defeated Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League at San Siro with a late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty.
Brighton have been frustrating for their supporters pretty much throughout the Fabian Hurzeler era. The Seagulls are just three points outside of the top four, though, despite a lacklustre performance rescued by a late Georginio Rutter equaliser in a 1-1 draw against West Ham.
Can Liverpool prove their credentials without Salah? AllSportsPeople brings you the latest odds, predictions and bet builder tips for this clash in the Premier League.
Liverpool vs. Brighton & Hove Albion Prediction: Who Will Win?
Even in victory against what was a poor and underwhelming Inter side in Milan, Liverpool lacked cohesion and fluency going forward with a controversial penalty enough to separate the sides.
Against a side competent enough to seize the ball but perhaps naïve and stubborn enough to not exploit Liverpool’s glaring defensive weaknesses, this one is tough to call so we're siding with a draw.
Head-to-Head: Liverpool vs Brighton
- The most recent clash between these two sides saw Brighton dramatically and entertainingly defeat Liverpool back in May when Arne Slot’s side had already just been crowned champions.
- That came on the back of three successive Liverpool victories in this fixture. It has been an entertaining watch of late with their 18 meetings since Brighton’s promotion to the Premier League producing 59 goals, with 12 of those featuring both teams scoring.
- Overall, the two sides have clashed on 43 occasions with Liverpool having won 23 of those games and Brighton coming out on top in just eight of those matches.
Liverpool vs. Brighton: Form Guide
Liverpool – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Inter Milan 0-1 Liverpool (UEFA Champions League)
- Leeds United 3-3 Liverpool (Premier League)
- Liverpool 1-1 Sunderland (Premier League)
- West Ham United 0-2 Liverpool (Premier League)
- Liverpool 1-4 PSV Eindhoven (UEFA Champions League)
Brighton – Last 5 matches (All competitions)
- Brighton and Hove Albion 1-1 West Ham United (Premier League)
- Brighton and Hove Albion 3-4 Aston Villa (Premier League)
- Nottingham Forest 0-2 Brighton and Hove Albion (Premier League)
- Brighton and Hove Albion 2-1 Brentford (Premier League)
- Crystal Palace 0-0 Brighton and Hove Albion (Premier League)
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Liverpool vs. Brighton Betting Tips
Liverpool don’t appear to know what they are doing. Their recruitment didn’t really make sense given where they needed to strengthen. A lack of control in defence mixed with no cohesion in attack has brought about this crisis.
Prediction: Liverpool 1-1 Brighton (8.54 with Dafabet)
Liverpool vs. Brighton Team News
Liverpool Team News
- Mohamed Salah has been removed from the Liverpool squad and stood down from selection after his comments last week with Arne Slot favouring a narrow diamond midfield last week.
- That means belatedly their big money summer signings Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike are now expected to discover some chemistry by starting up-front together.
- Conor Bradley is missing through suspension and Cody Gakpo is missing through injury, meaning that the diamond midfield is once again expected here.
Brighton Team News
- Japan international winger Kaoru Mitoma is often the star attraction for Brighton but he is still unavailable for this one and he is a doubt again as he tries to work his way back.
- They also have a few other injury doubts with players working their way back to full fitness such as experienced former Liverpool man James Milner and Sweden international Yasin Ayari.
- Danny Welbeck has been in excellent form this season and he will likely again be a key man for Brighton to try and play off ahead of the trip to Anfield.
Liverpool vs. Brighton Lineups: Predicted Starting XI’s
This is how we think these two sides will lineup at Anfield, with Slot continuing to field a midfield diamond in response to Salah and Gakpo's absences.
Liverpool predicted lineup to play Brighton
Liverpool (4-1-2-1-2)
Alisson (GK) – Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson – Gravenberch – Jones, Mac Allister – Szoboszlai – Isak, Ekitike
- Out: Leoni, Gakpo, Sa
- Doubtful: Frimpong, Endo, Chiesa
- Suspensions: Bradley
Brighton predicted lineup to play Liverpool
Brighton (4-2-3-1)
Verbruggen (GK) – Wieffer, Van Hecke, Dunk, Kadioglu – Baleba, Gomez – Minteh, Rutter, De Cuyper – Welbeck
- Out: Webster, March, Tzimas
- Doubtful: Milner, Ayari, Mitoma
- Suspensions: N/A
Liverpool vs. Brighton Betting Odds
- Liverpool to win: 1.68 with Dafabet
- Brighton to win: 4.57
- Draw: 4.17
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How to watch: Liverpool vs. Brighton Live Stream, TV Channel
Here’s all the key information for how to watch Liverpool vs. Brighton.
- Date: Saturday, December 13
- Venue: Anfield, Liverpool, England
- Time: 8:30 p.m. IST
- TV/Stream: JioHotstar