Brighton & Hove Albion will host Liverpool in the EFL Cup round of 16 at the Amex Stadium, with a spot in the quarter-finals on the line.
Brighton & Hove Albion have the quality to upset the odds and grind out a victory over Liverpool on Wednesday. However, the home team’s players will have to step up and produce a quality performance.
The Seagulls looked quite vulnerable at the back at the weekend and threw away a two-goal lead to share the spoils with Wolves. So, Fabian Hurzeler’s men cannot afford to be complacent at the back if they want to get a win over Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Liverpool did well to bounce back twice to grind out a draw against Arsenal away from home this past weekend. The Reds will be full of confidence right now. Liverpool are unbeaten in nine matches across all competitions, and it remains to be seen whether they can book their place in the next round of the EFL Cup with a win on Wednesday.
Team News & Tactics
Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion will be without Matt O’Riley due to an ankle injury. Joao Pedro has an ankle injury, James Milner has a thigh injury, Adam Webster has a thigh problem, Solly March has a knee injury, Yankuba Minteh has a groin issue, Jack Hinshelwood has a muscle complaint, and Lewis Dunk has a calf injury.
The Seagulls are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bart Verbruggen in goal. Joel Veltman and Pervis Estupinan will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things compact at the back for Brighton and hit Liverpool on the counter. Jan Paul van Hecke will start in the central defensive parternsup alongside Igor Julio.
Mats Wieffer and Carlos Baleba will start in the midfield double pivot. They will look to protect the defensive unit and break down opposition attacks. Georginio Rutter is cup-tied, and Julio Enciso will start as the central attacking midfielder.
Enciso will look to link up with Danny Welbeck in the final third and create opportunities for his teammates. Simon Adingra and Kaoru Mitoma will start on the flanks for Brighton against Liverpool.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Veltman, Julio, van Hecke, Estupinan; Wieffer, Baleba; Adingra, Enciso, Mitoma; Welbeck
Liverpool
Harvey Elliott misses out with a foot injury, while Alisson Becker is recovering from a hamstring issue. Federico Chiesa and Conor Bradley will miss out with knocks, and Diogo Jota has an abdominal injury. Liverpool are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal.
Joe Gomez and Kostas Tsimikas will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out defensively and in the attack. Jarell Quansah will start alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence.
Alexis Mac Allister and Watardu Endo will add creativity and defensive cover to the side. Dominik Szoboszlai will look to create goalscoring opportunities as the number ten here. Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo will add pace, flair and goals from the wide areas, with Darwin Nunez leading the line for Liverpool against Brighton.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Endo, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo; Nunez
Key Stats
- Brighton & Hove Albion have scored at least two goals in their last three home matches against Liverpool in all competitions.
- 21 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Brighton and Liverpool have won two each out of the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Brighton & Hove Albion are unbeaten in five of their last six matches in all competitions.
- Liverpool have picked up five wins and a draw from the last six matches.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian International is our key player to watch out for. He continues to impress every week, and he has been a decisive player for Liverpool this season. Salah scored a vital goal against Arsenal at the weekend, and he will look to build on that performance here.
The experienced attacker will help create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and look to add to his goal tally for the season as well. Liverpool will look to him as they aim to progress through to the next round of the competition.
Prediction
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-2 Liverpool
Brighton & Hove Albion are likely to put up a fight at home, and they will look to make life difficult for Liverpool here. However, the away side are the better team on paper, and they should be able to grind out the victory, even though they are likely to rotate the team here.
The home team have looked vulnerable at the back, and Liverpool have the quality to exploit that. A narrow win for the away side is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 victory for Arne Slot and his charges.