Liverpool will be looking to claim their first win in 2019 when they travel to the Amex Stadium to take on Brighton on Saturday afternoon. The New Year has begun on a disappointing note for the Reds with identical 2-1 losses in the league to Man City and in the Cup to Wolverhampton Wanderers respectively. Their lead at the top has now been cut to four points, which means they cannot afford another setback on the South Coast against Chris Houghton’s Brighton, who generally tend to play better in front of their home fans
The Reds suffered their first Premier League defeat this season when City got the better of them at the Etihad. Victory against Pep Guardiola’s men would’ve almost certainly meant the end of the title race, but the home side breathed new life into it thanks to goals from Sergio Aguero and Leroy Sane.
Jurgen Klopp’s men, as mentioned above, were also beaten by Wolves at Molineux, thus seeing them knocked early of yet another Cup competition. They suffered a blow when Dejan Lovren was forced off early in the game due to a hamstring injury, forcing Klopp to hand 16 year old Ki-Jana Hoever his debut in defence in a makeshift combo along with Fabinho. Jordan Henderson was originally supposed to play CB alongside the Brazilian, but his calf problem forced Lovren to deputise, and the Croatian’s injury, coupled with that of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, means Fabinho will almost certainly start again as a centre half, this time alongside Virgil van Dijk.
That potential vulnerability in Liverpool’s defence, coupled with Brighton’s solid record at home, would make the odds for a Seagulls win (17/2 at GB) or draw (9/2 at GB) pretty enticing. Only two sides have come away with wins from the Amex this season in the league- Spurs and Chelsea, and both were by single goal margins. Use this 2019 Genting Bet promo code if you fancy a flutter on the Seagulls. Liverpool themselves only won 1-0 when the two sides met at Anfield earlier this season.
That being said, failure to pick up three points on the South Coast would herald a mini crisis of sorts for the Reds, with questions again being asked about the ability to keep their composure in a tight title race. The mounting injury list is also another worry and another injury, especially to Virgil van Dijk, could severely dent their title aspirations.
Brighton are unbeaten in their last four games across all competitions. There are some solid results in there- a 1-1 draw at home against Arsenal, an impressive 2-2 result against in form West Ham at the London Stadium, and a 1-0 win over Marco Silva’s Everton, also at the Amex Stadium.
Another potential factor in Brighton’s favour is the presence of Kevin Friend. Under him as referee, the Seagulls have won all three of their league games this season, beating Palace, West Ham and Manchester United. Liverpool’s solitary game under him this season- the League Cup clash against Chelsea, ended in defeat for the Reds.