Liverpool and Brighton both need wins to boost squad morale after challenging results last weekend. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

 

Brighton vs. Liverpool

The Amex

2:00pm

For all their good works and great plays, Brighton has only one win in their last five games, and you wonder what Roberto Di Zerbi is thinking ahead of the visit of the wounded Kops to the Amex.

Brighton lost scandalously in the league last weekend and had to force a draw in the Europa League in midweek. You can’t pin the struggles on continental football with Brighton boasting a deep squad, but is this where mentality comes in?

Liverpool has to shove aside the controversy of last weekend to focus on whatever Brighton will throw at them on Sunday. Both sides have pain on different levels, with Jurgen Klopp leading the charge against the PGMOL following their horrendous error at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham beat Liverpool with a last-gasp Joel Matip own goal last weekend, but some decisions before the Cameroonian slammed past his own keeper keep reverberating across the world of football with a wrongly disallowed Liverpool goal and two red cards to the Kops.

It’s a good day for Brighton to reinforce their claims for the top six pot, but the Seagulls must do it against a team that will leave no stone unturned. Both teams don’t have problems with goal scoring, but can Brighton fix a defense that has leaked close to 10 goals in their last three games?

Liverpool will be without the suspended duo of Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota for the trip to Brighton, while the Seagulls have ruled out Pervis Estupinian due to injury. Cody Gakpo limped out after scoring at Spurs; he won’t be fit for this game.

It will be an enjoyable game, especially for the neutrals, but no one wants to lose as we head into another international break. Brighton needs to halt the rot and convert their dominance into actual points, but with Liverpool in top form, how will this play out?

A win for the Kops takes them up to second, at least until Manchester City plays Arsenal right after this fixture, and that’s an incredible incentive to motivate Liverpool, but Brighton also knows that a win over Liverpool boosts squad morale and also helps them into the top 4 and straight above Liverpool.

How will they line up? Some key players are out for the Seagulls, so Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March are expected to ply their respective wings, while Evan Ferguson is expected to be the man who leads the line ahead of Danny Welbeck and Joao Pedro.

Darwin Nunes will start for Liverpool with Jota and Gakpo out of contention, and Luis Diaz is a player to watch out for. The midfield battle is key; how will Billy Gilmour fare against the Liverpool midfield? The duo of James Milner and Adam Lallana are both unavailable, but Alexis Mac Allister will line up against his former teammates.

Verdict: Both teams score