Liverpool - Brighton and Hove Albion predictions and free betting tips [31/03/2024]

On Sunday, 31st March, within the framework of the 30th EPL tour, Liverpool will host Brighton. In case of victory, the hosts, at the very least for a few hours, can ascend back to the top of the table, whereas the "seagulls" haven't yet lost hopes for a top six finish.

Predicted Line-ups

Liverpool: Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Szoboszlai, Endo, Mc Allister; Salah, Nunez, Dias.
Brighton: Verbruggen; Lamptey, Van Hecke, Dunk, Estupiñán; Gross, Gilmour; Adingra, Lallana, Fati; Welbeck.

Liverpool

This season, Liverpool are embroiled in a title race and currently hold the 2nd spot in the Premier League table, equal on points with leaders Arsenal. Since their 3:1 defeat at the Emirates early in February, the Reds have been unbeaten in the national championship, bagging wins against Burnley (3:1), Brentford (1:4), Luton (4:1), Nottingham Forest (0:1), and sharing the spoils with Manchester City (1:1) in the last round. Mc Allister equalised with a penalty in response to John Stones' one goal. Just before the international break, the Merseysiders, winter's League Cup winners, succumbed to Manchester United in the quarter-final of the FA Cup (4:3 after extra time). Ever since the shock defeat at the hands of Leeds United 17 months back, Liverpool have remained unbeaten in 26 straight EPL matches at Anfield! Jürgen Klopp's men edged past Sparta Prague in the Europa League (11:2 on aggregate) and will meet Atalanta in the quarter-finals.

On this upcoming Sunday, several key players will be missing from Liverpool's roster, including regular goalkeeper Alisson, right-back Alexander-Arnold, Portuguese winger Diogo Jota, midfielder Jones, and also Matip, Thiago, and Baičetič. The French player, Konate, on the other hand, has recovered quickly from injury and will fortify the defense alongside veteran van Dijk. The attacking trio may comprise Salah (15 goals and 9 assists), Nunez (10 goals and 7 assists), and Luis Dias (6 goals and 3 assists), with Cody Gakpo pegged to reinforce later in the second half.

Brighton

Brighton, discussed as a potential contender for a European cup spot before the season's start, currently lie 8th in the Premier League table, five points off the top six. Lately, the Seagulls' performance has been rather erratic, having lost 2 and won 2 of the last 5 games in the national championship and drawn 1. After a 3:0 defeat by Fulham, Brighton bounced back with a 1:0 victory against Nottingham Forest in the last round. The Seagulls' fans are certainly tensed by the fact that, over the current campaign, coach De Zerbi's team took just five points out of 33 possible against teams from the table's top half. Nonetheless, after their fiasco against Roma in the Europa League 1/8 finals (1:4 on aggregate), the visitors are focused on the domestic league.

By the way, the Seagulls haven't been great performers away from home, gathering just 15 points in 14 away encounters (12th in the division). Travelling to Anfield, they also face several squad absences. Wingers Mitoma (3 goals and 4 assists) and March (3 goals in 7 games), main forward Joao Pedro (8 goals), veteran James Milner, and defender Hinchliffe are all injured. Winger Adingra (6 goals) has been one of the team's bright spots lately, likely to feature in attack alongside experienced Pascal Gross (4 goals and 10 assists). Julio Enciso is gradually gaining condition, playing 53 minutes in the recent match against Roma, and ex-Red Adam Lallana should return to midfield.

Head to Head

The previous round's clash at the Amex ended in a 2:2 draw. Also, the Seagulls haven't tasted defeat at Anfield for three years now.

Match prediction: Liverpool vs Brighton

De Zerbi's track record against top-half EPL teams away from home is a cause for concern for the Seagulls' fans before the trip to Anfield. The break couldn't have come at a better time for Liverpool as it allowed several previously injured players to get back fit. The hosts cannot afford to drop points, especially as direct rivals City and Arsenal lock horns a couple of hours later. My prediction is a Liverpool victory with a -1.5 handicap.