Preview: Liverpool vs. Brighton
Liverpool return from the international break by welcoming Brighton to Anfield in the Premier League.
LIVERPOOL VS. BRIGHTON
|Sunday, March 31st |
Premier League | Anfield
2PM GMT/9AM EST
The Premier League is Risen after the March international break. Liverpool will celebrate Easter Sunday by inviting Brighton and Hove Albion to Anfield. There are 10 more league games left in the season, and Liverpool are engaged in a tight battle with Arsenal and Manchester City for the title.
It could potentially be a big weekend for the Reds, because Arsenal and City are playing each other. If Liverpool win their game, and things for their way for their rivals, they could be back on top by the end of the weekend.
Andy Robertson is once again a casualty of representing his country. The defender went off injured captaining Scotland in a meaningless friendly in midweek. The outlook for that appears good, but his presence is a doubt on Sunday.
The Seagulls were eliminated from the Europa League Round of 16 by Roma before the break. Now their focus will be on the league and making it into the top seven to ensure another go at the Europa League next season. Right now they sit in 8th place, two points before West Ham United with a game in hand.
Prepare to withstand tons of speculation about Brighton manager Robert De Zerbi and the possibility that he could succeed Jürgen Klopp next season. De Zerbi has always been a name in the conversation, and after Xabi Alonso committed another year to Leverkusen, that speculation will reach a fever pitch this weekend.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
Robertson hasn’t been ruled out completely, but whether or not he’s in the squad, he will likely not start. The regular guys are still out, so there’s no Stefan Bajcetic, Joel Matip, Ben Doak, Thiago Alcantara, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Alisson Becker. Curtis Jones is another doubt for Sunday.
For Brighton, their long term injuries include Solly March, Jack Hinshelwood, and Kaoru Mitoma. Most important for Liverpool fans is that former vice-captain and fan favorite James Milner is a doubt with a thigh injury. Other doubts are Julio Enciso and Joao Pedro.
What the Managers Had to Say
Jurgen Klopp: “When they have the ball, you have to be ready to suffer, it’s not a normal pressing game, they play in a different way. It goes a bit against our rhythm, which we usually like, but we have to break their rhythm. It will be super-interesting, I’m really looking forward to it. But with all respect to Brighton, we want to win this game and it has nothing to do with the other game, obviously.”
The Officials
Referee: David Coote. Assistants: Tim Wood, Mark Scholes. Fourth official: Craig Pawson. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Dan Cook.
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Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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