Liverpool–Brighton

Liverpool need three points at home at Anfield now. Strictly speaking, that has been the reality for a long time, but the situation is becoming increasingly precarious. If the reigning champions are to fight for Champions League tickets in the spring, they will have to start picking up points at a completely different pace than what is the new normal there. A strong win in Milan against Inter in midweek may have given some faith in the project again. That is at least Slot's straw. Brighton, for its part, is two places above Saturday's hosts, but equal on points. The team is performing at its usual level, and both scoring and conceding goals in familiar style. A couple of disappointing matches will be avenged at Anfield. It is no longer impossible to rule it out.

Liverpool – The engine is in neutral

Because there is a lot of quality in this team, no one doubts that. Isak, Ekitike, Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo.. The goals should in theory come like pearls on a string. The good relationships, and some of the heavy defensive runs have disappeared, and with that this team looks somewhat disharmonious. And then we haven't addressed the elephant in the room yet. Because it's called Mohamed Salah at the time of writing.

Salah has been Liverpool's leading star for a few seasons now. One of the world's best footballers, one of those with the highest goal average, and the man who has secured both trophies and victories when you need it most. An absolutely unique player who will write his name in gold letters in the Premier League books for all time. But then the form disappears. Suddenly all the finishes go over the stadium roof, the runs don't work, and the close technique is like dew to the sun. He was rightly placed on the bench. The problem is that Slot kept him there for three straight games. With that, Liverpool's boss shows that Salah is the root of all evil, and in a way, Salah is being thrown under the bus by his own people. For Salah is not the problem this season. Yes, all the Reds have earned a trip to the bench, but pointing out the Egyptian as the scapegoat is wrong. There are several in the attack line who are out of form, not just Salah. It will be very interesting to see whether the top scorer can be found on the grass at Anfield tomorrow or not. The power struggle that is now unfolding could quickly end with only losers. Slot must think carefully about this.

Beyond that, Liverpool played a good game in Italy. The eternal machine, Szoboszlai, saved the evening from the penalty spot, and thus also the situation in this year's Champions League. Can Liverpool take this with them into the Premier League? Anfield is holding its breath.

Brighton – Still dependent on an aging Welbeck

The blue and whites are one of those teams that you never really get to know. On paper, a slightly uneven team, but on the pitch sometimes like a good Barcelona team. Welbeck is one of those players who has been written off once or twice, and who has never been quite good enough. But then he scores, again and again. The situation is still that there is a Joao Pedro hole in this team. A real goalscorer would have made the difference, and is probably on the block in the meeting room already, we would think.

Baleba and Minteh are perhaps the two most prominent in this crew. Two players who master several elements of the sport we love, have great mobility, and are wanted by far bigger clubs than Brighton. It is questionable whether the former in particular will disappear in the summer, because the ambitions must probably be greater than mid-table.

Brighton are scoring a decent number of goals. There have been eight goals in the last four. In the same games, six balls have gone into the net behind Verbruggen. These are not unusual numbers for Hurzeler's boys. Against a Liverpool team that is fighting with their backs against the wall, they can once again get their chances.

Conclusion – When these two meet, it will be a fight!

Because over the last six meetings between Brighton and Liverpool, we've had both teams score in every match. Not only that, every match has featured somewhere between three and five goal scorers. Anyone willing to bet against it happening again tomorrow?

Liverpool must have three points. Liverpool are fragile at the back, something we really saw last time against Leeds. The match was in a sense decided in favor of the Reds, before Konate thought it was okay to have a little excitement. Two minutes later it was 2-2. The Hungarian captain makes it 3-2 to Liverpool, before they conceded a corner again deep into added time, and the three-pointer disappeared with man marking on their own set piece.

So we imagine a home team chasing three points, an away team scoring from set pieces, sleeping defenders, and maybe a goal or two from Salah? If he plays. Either way, there will be a lot to watch this Saturday.

England at 16:00: Liverpool - Brighton: Both teams score + Over 2.5 goals (1.84)

Alternative game

England at 16:00: Liverpool - Brighton: Over 9.5 corners (1.66)