Liverpool travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday in the Premier League, hoping to enter the upcoming international break on a high.
The Reds entered the second round of Europa League fixture against Union Saint-Gilloise on Thursday evening reeling from their first defeat of the season against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend under controversial circumstances. However, Jurgen Klopp’s men did not let the emotions get the better of them and produced a professional display to beat Union SG 2-0 at Anfield.
The Merseyside outfit will face a sterner test on the south coast against Brighton though, who come into this game after earning their first-ever European point on the back of a 2-2 away draw with Marseille on Thursday evening.
Curtis Jones begins a three-game domestic suspension—which Liverpool failed to overturn after an appeal—for a reckless stamp on Tottenham midfielder Yves Bissouma, while Diogo Jota, who scored in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Union SG, will sit this game out owing to his sending-off for two bookable offences last weekend.
The suspensions of Jones and Jota are major blows for Klopp, who also has injuries to contend with. Cody Gakpo went down injured in first-half stoppage time immediately after scoring the equaliser against Spurs and was substituted at half-time. He will return after the international break.
Goalkeeper.
Alisson will be aiming to build on the clean sheet he kept against Union SG in midweek. However, he should be at his best to earn one against the league’s top scorers on Sunday.
Defence.
Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip will be fresh to return to the Liverpool lineup, having been unused substitutes against Union SG. They should form the central defensive pairing at the heart of Liverpool’s backline, with Andy Robertson replacing Kostas Tsimikas at left-back from the midweek Europa League fixture.
Fit-again Trent Alexander-Arnold played 63 minutes before coming off for Joe Gomez on Thursday evening. He is expected to retain his right-back spot in the Liverpool lineup.
Midfield.
Curtis Jones’ suspension has opened the door for Ryan Gravenberch to make his first Premier League start for Liverpool after opening his goalscoring account against Union SG. The Dutchman should join Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai in the Reds’ engine room.
With Gravenberch holding the fort in the centre of the park, Szoboszlai and Mac Allister should enjoy the freedom to push forward and get into promising positions to hurt Brighton. The trio have to perform exceptionally well to enable the offensive unit to express themselves freely
Attack.
With Diogo Jota suspended and Cody Gakpo injured, picking Liverpool’s front line appears to be simple. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz should operate on the right and left wing in the Liverpool lineup, while Darwin Nunez leads their attack. If Salah, Diaz and Nunez can combine well and use their qualities to good effect, Brighton could have a long afternoon at the Amex Stadium.
The likes of Harvey Elliot, Wataru Endo and Ben Doak could get opportunities to make a mark in the second half depending on the situation of the game.
