Preview: Liverpool vs. Brighton
Liverpool have injury boosts ahead of Brighton’s visit to Anfield.
LIVERPOOL VS. BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION
| Saturday, October 30th |
Premier League | Anfield
3PM GMT/10AM EST
Brighton come to Anfield without Dan Burn, but will have the tricky fullback Tariq Lamptey available; Lamptey has returned to the team after a lengthy injury absence, and will cause problems down Brighton’s right side. Given his pace and directness, Andy Robertson will need to be alive to the threat, and it would be brilliant if the Liverpool right back had no lapses in organization when it comes to the offside line this weekend.
Yves Bissouma, who is also central to how Brighton play, is returning from his own lengthy absence with a knee problem, and will look to cause Liverpool problems.
While Brighton are coming into Saturday’s match on the back of three draws and two losses — going out of the League Cup on penalties to Leicester City most recently — the Seagulls have looked more promising than their results suggest.
Brighton will look to cause Liverpool problems, and the Reds will need to be well-organized and alert to take all three points on Saturday — after all, not every Premier League opponent will be as easy to break down as Manchester United was last time out.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Keïta, Jones; Salah, Firmino, Mané
Liverpool find themselves without Fabinho, as the Brazilian remains sidelined with the niggle he picked up in the Champions League. That said, Naby Keïta has recovered from what looked to be a horror tackle, and Thiago Alcantara, who has been missing for some time, is also back in training. James Milner is still on the injured list.
While this match might come a bit too soon for Thiago, another start for Keïta seems likely, as manager Jürgen Klopp continues to have some options in the middle of the park.
The front three give Klopp positive problems, in that no one would complain about any of the first choice front four being included in the starting lineup Saturday. Similarly, while the fullbacks and Alisson likely write themselves into the team sheet, the centerback pairing will be a positive surprise.
Joël Matip’s somewhat surprising start midweek means it’s possible Ibra Konaté has found himself as part of the first choice pairing in the league, but Joe Gomez and Matip himself will want the start. In aggressive contrast to last season, it’s wonderful to have so many great choices in the center of defense; while Virgil Van Dijk is guaranteed a start, no one would argue regardless of the name next to him on the team sheet.
What the Managers Had to Say
Jurgen Klopp: “We try to be as consistent as somehow possible and for that we need to be ready, for example, for tomorrow, which is one of the trickiest games in the Premier League because of the work Graham [Potter] is doing at Brighton and the way they play.”
Graham Potter: “You need everything pretty much to go your way if you want to try to get a result at Anfield. You have to be perfect yourselves, you have to be together, you have to be resilient and play at such a high level and then you have to hope that they have a bit of an off day as well. Because while we are in the same league, we are not at the same level as them.”
The Officials
Referee: Mike Dean. Assistants: Eddie Smart, Mark Scholes. Fourth official: Chris Kavanagh. VAR: Kevin Friend. Assistant VAR: Simon Beck.
Kickoff is set for 3PM GMT/10AM EST tomorrow. In the meantime, The Liverpool Offside team will keep you updated with all of the team news and match buildup as it becomes available, along with providing a matchday liveblog and post-match recaps and reaction. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account and have your say on the action as it happens.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
Post a Comment