On Wednesday Liverpool are back in action when they travel to Brighton. The Reds will be hoping to maintain their hunt for a record points haul as they attempt to put the gloss on their title.
Liverpool v Brighton: Preview
Liverpool
Liverpool were less than their fluent selves on Sunday as they eventually got past Villa 2-0. Goals from Sadio Mane and the first goal for youngster Curtis Jones in the last 20 minutes was enough to see off the visitors. Liverpool kept up their record of winning every home league game this season.
Boss Jurgen Klopp will hope for a more clinical showing and may revert back to a more familiar line up in the hope of finding their brilliant best. Klopp left out regular starters Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino from his lineup on Sunday, before bringing them on all in in a triple change midway through the second half.
Divock Origi started the match on Sunday and struggled to get involved in the action throughout, so he was subbed off and may find himself back on the bench on Wednesday. Origi has scored in only three games this season and hasn’t scored in 29 substitute appearances. Despite his important goals in the past, time may be running out at Anfield for the Belgian.
Another question mark for Klopp hangs over the selection of Naby Keita, the Guinean midfielder showed yet more glimpses of his abilities against Villa. After an unsettling start to life with the Reds, he has returned positively since the restart. He could well be one to retain his place as Oxlade-Chamberlain and Origi make way.
Brighton
Brighton boss Graham Potter will have been delighted with his team’s performance on the weekend. The Seagulls defeated bottom of the table Norwich via a first-half goal from Leandro Trossard.
The hosts Brighton have picked up crucial points since the resumption of the Premier League and have seemingly edged towards safety. This is very important for them because their game against Liverpool will not provide easy points.
Match Preview
The last time the two sides met it was two Virgil Van Dijk headers that won the day. Reds’ goalkeeper Alisson Becker was dismissed after charging out of his area and handling the ball as it lobbed over his head. Lewis Dunk took the resulting free-kick quickly and scored. However, Liverpool hung on for all three points.
With five games remaining Klopp’s side require 12 points to become the record points holders. Previous incumbents Man City amassed 100 points in the 2017/18 season and should Liverpool win their remaining matches they could reach 104.
Liverpool should expect a strong performance from a resurgent Brighton outfit and will be in for a tough evening on the South Coast.
Prediction: Brighton 1-2 Liverpool
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