Brighton and Hove Albion began their first Premier League fixture in European football against Europa League challengers Liverpool at the Amex Stadium on Sunday.
The Seagulls later lost 2-0 to draw Marseille 2-2, while their Merseyside counterparts ended a worrying spell by dismissing Union SG 2-0.
Match preview
Flashbacks to Villa Park were something to remember for the traveling Brighton faithful on Thursday night, with Chancelmbal Mbele scoring in the 19th and 20th minutes after their side were hammered 6-1 by Aston Villa. and Jordan Veretout at the Orange Velodrome.
Newly appointed Olympic manager Gennaro Gattuso looked set for a first win in the Marseille hot seat, but as injuries began to pile up for the hosts in the second half, Roberto De Zerbi’s men took full advantage when Pascal Gross reduced the arrears. before Joao Pedro’s clinical penalty gave the Seagulls a point. As valiant as Brighton’s efforts across the channel have been, De Zerbi’s side now face an ugly three-match unbeaten run on their trip to Liverpool, with Chelsea also snubbing the EFL Cup ahead of the West Midlands upset at the weekend.
Sixth in the Premier League table – just three points behind leaders Manchester City – is still nothing to sniff at, but the defensive stats are worrying for De Zerbi, whose side have already scored 20 goals in all competitions this season. , more than any other side in England’s top flight.
So it’s a bit of a shock to hear that the hosts haven’t kept a single clean sheet this season, but after back-to-back wins over Newcastle United and Bournemouth at the Amex, the Seagulls can now make it three Premier League wins. . at home bounce back games for the first time since 2019 and the 11 goals scored in familiar territory are second only to Villa’s 13 goals.
Like Brighton, Liverpool qualified for the second round of the Europa League with a miserable Premier League result, suffering a terrible refereeing in their first defeat of the season against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Two red cards, a wrongly disallowed tackle on Luis Diaz and a last-gasp own goal from Joel Matip contributed to the Reds’ downfall in a 2-1 defeat by the Lilywhites, while Jurgen Klopp’s half-hearted hope for a Darren repeat came to a screeching halt. of England’s outstanding performance. Not allowed to join the VAR cheerleader, his side exorcised their domestic demons on Thursday. Union SG gave Klopp’s side a good performance on Merseyside, but Ryan Gravenberch scored his first Liverpool goal after Anthony Moris deflected Trent Alexander-Arnold’s shot into his path and Diogo Jota put the game to bed in second-half stoppage time. with a sharp shot over the target.
Liverpool were far from their best on Thursday, but a first clean sheet in five games was a welcome statistic for Klopp, whose men put together an eight-match unbeaten run at home in the Premier League before the nightmare in north London. Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, last season’s trips down south were not pleasant events for the Liverpool faithful as their side suffered 3-0 and 2-1 defeats to Brighton in the Premier League and FA Cup respectively before the fans turned out to see Leandro . Trossard’s show at Anfield as the now Arsenal man scored all three of the Seagulls’ goals in a stunning 3-3 draw in October.
Team news
After Pervis Estupinan scored an own goal in his side’s poor performance at Villa Park, the agony continued this week as the Ecuadorian left-back picked up a thigh injury which is expected to keep him out for the next month.
Estupin joins knee victims Jakub Moder and Julio Enciso in the treatment room, while ex-Liverpool duo James Milner and Adam Lallana miss the meeting with their former employers due to their tantrums, although both are expected to return immediately. international break While Estupinan is attended to by the medical team, Tariq Lamptey is expected to continue deputizing on the left wing, while teenager Evan Ferguson is to be brought back to lead veteran Danny Welbeck’s attack.
As for the Reds, Curtis Jones will begin a three-match domestic ban – which Liverpool have not overturned – for his tackle on Yves Bissouma, while Diogo Jota will have a poor one-match spell as he was sent off for two offences.
As well as the disciplinary concerns, Liverpool lost Cody Gakpo to a knee problem immediately after the Dutchman’s equalizer against Tottenham, while Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Caoimhin Kelleher (knee) and Thiago Alcantara (hip) are also ruled out.
Jones’ suspension opened the door for Gravenberch to make his first Premier League start for the club since opening his goalkeeping account on Thursday, although Wataru Endo will be able to provide more protection against a side that has already scored 23 goals this season.
Brighton and Hove Albion’s possible starting line-up:
Verbruggen; Veltman, Dunk, Webster, Lamptey; Gilmour, Gross; March, Pedro, Mitoma; Ferguson
Liverpool’s possible starting line-up:
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Salah, Nunez, Diaz
We say: Brighton and Hove Albion 1-3 Liverpool
The remaining legs of their Europa League outings will hit both teams hard this weekend, although Brighton may feel their tough trip home to Marseille more, while Liverpool can rest some big names at home. Goals have been a guarantee every time the two sides have taken the field this season, but with Brighton exposing Liverpool to two Amex strikes earlier in 2023, serious defensive errors from the hosts should see the Reds hit back.
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