Liverpool host 16th placed Brighton on Wednesday evening as Jurgen Klopp’s high-flying Reds hope to make it three wins on the trot after notching up two successive wins on their trips to the capital city.
Victories over top sides in Tottenham Hotspurs and West Ham United over the last week has given the Merseysiders much-needed confidence heading into the home fixture midweek but Anfield’s status no longer remains a ‘fortress’ for Klopp’s men after the shock defeat to Burnley.
The Clarets took the unlikeliest of victory on their visit to Merseyside courtesy of a late spot-kick from Ashley Barnes, breaking a 68-game-long unbeaten run at Anfield for the Reds.
However, a barren run of futile attacking endeavours combined with misery in top-flight action was broken in style by Liverpool FC against Spurs and was supplemented further with a confident showing against the in-form West Ham United last Sunday, giving the champions a major infusion of belief as the Seagulls make the trip to Anfield.
𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒍 🍿🎞️
Just 3️⃣ minutes and 2️⃣5️⃣ seconds of pure brilliance from @MoSalah vs @WestHam 🤩 pic.twitter.com/imBW0ls1JW
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 2, 2021
A much-improved brand of attacking football was on display by Klopp’s men in East London over the weekend and Mohammad Salah’s getting back amongst the goals comes at a crucial juncture for the Premier League holder’s intentions of retaining their crown.
Brighton, meanwhile, come into Wednesday’s fixture buzzing with confidence on the back of what was a shock win over Tottenham Hotspurs as Graham Potter’s men put out a solid defensive display to prevent the North London giants from leaving the Amex with three points in a game that was heavily tipped to be an easy result in favour of Jose Mourinho’s side.
However, the upcoming visitors to Anfield still sit just seven points above the drop zone and should they seek to defy a resurgent Liverpool FC side, Potter’s men would have to be on their very best amid Jurgen Klopp’s title-winning squad finally finding their feet in gathering results.
WHEN & WHERE?
Date: Wednesday 3 February
Time: 7:30 PM GMT
Venue: Anfield
TEAM NEWS
Further bad news on the injury front was in line for the Liverpool FC fanbase following the conclusion of the January transfer window as the Merseyside outfit confirmed the sideline of Joel Matip for the remainder of the ongoing campaign due to the ankle ligament injury suffered by him during the Spurs clash.
But deadline-day witnessed two incomings on Merseyside, with Jurgen Klopp finally splashing the cash, albeit in a stingy manner, on Preston North End centre-half Ben Davies and long-term target Ozan Kabak, the latter of whom joins the Reds on a short-term loan deal with an option to buy.
Sadio Mane had been absent from the West Ham game owing to a minor muscle strain and it remains to be seen whether the Senegalese would be in the mix to feature on the Anfield pitch come Wednesday.
Curtis Jones shone off the bench last time around and Klopp is expected to hand the Scouser a start against Brighton as James Milner looks likely to drop down after two successive outings in league football for the veteran midfielder.
KEY BATTLE
Mohammad Salah vs Lewis Dunk
If Brighton are to emulate Burnley’s shock result on Merseyside, a lot would depend upon Graham Potter’s side managing to keep the Liverpool FC frontline at bay from getting on the scoresheet.
The Lewis Dunk-led defence for the Seagulls are due to face a tough task in keeping the back-on-fire Mohammad Salah in check as the Egyptian international hopes to increase upon his 15-goal tally in top-flight football.
Dunk performed admirably well against Spurs over the last weekend and the English international will relish a face-off against the Liverpool FC talisman.
MATCH PREDICTION
Jurgen Klopp’s men are seemingly back to their best and hopes of recording three Premier League wins in a row since September would be resting on the player’s shoulders when Brighton visit Anfield.
We predict the match to conclude in a 3-0 win for the Reds.
