Liverpool vs. Brighton & Hove Albion: Preview, Team News, and Ways to Watch

Liverpool vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

| Saturday, November 30th |
Premier League | Anfield
3:00PM BST / 10:00AM EST

The good news for Liverpool is this match is at Anfield, where they’ve won their last 13 league matches, and Brighton are not very good on the road. The Seagulls have lost their last three away games, not having managed to win away from home since opening day at Watford.

The bad news for Liverpool is Fabinho’s absence. The ankle injury that ended his performance against Napoli midweek will keep the Brazilian from playing until January. But that’s not necessarily good news for Brighton coach Graham Potter.

Jürgen Klopp can enlist Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson to break up play on Saturday. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could be called in for a dash of dynamism. Naby Keita wouldn’t be a surprise, but I’d guess he gets some minutes from the bench in this one depending on how it goes. And you can never rule Adam Lallana.

Joël Matip remains out so it’s likely that Dejan Lovren stays in alongside Virgil van Dijk. The front three could be shaken up a bit if Klopp decides to bring Divock Origi into the team. The Belgian would probably replace either Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino. I just have an Origi feeling for this one.

Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Wijnaldum, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain; Mané, Firmino, Origi

If Brighton have a main guy it’s forward Neal Maupay. The south coast side aren’t a high-scoring outfit but the Frenchman is Graham Potter’s most dangerous player with four goals this season.

Sitting in 12th place in the league, Brighton are just below Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. The Seagulls have conceded 19 goals this term and should provide a smorgasbord of scoring opportunities for Liverpool’s attacking players.

All of Liverpool’s current title rivals have winnable games over the weekend, making a victory at Anfield on Saturday all the more important. Manchester City will be expected to beat Newcastle. Chelsea should win against West Ham United. And I can’t see any reason why Leicester wouldn’t beat Everton. Three more points for Liverpool keeps the darkness from closing in.

What the Managers Said

Jürgen Klopp: “They are innovative and think a lot about football. They are not only brave and play good football, they are well-organized as well.

Graham Potter: “We have to play well and hope they have an off day. But we can influence that and we certainly have to be better than we have been in the last couple of weeks.”

The Officials

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant referees: Lee Betts, Daniel Cook
Fourth official: David Coote
VAR: Craig Pawson
Assistant VAR: Andy Garratt

Kickoff is set for 3:00PM BST/10:00AM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.

In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.