Brighton hope to catch cup fever

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Given the Seagulls' struggling league form, the cup competition could be seen as a welcome distraction for the south coast side.

Albion decided against travelling back to Brighton after their latest defeat to Aston Villa, instead preferring to set up camp in the Midlands to make use of the state-of-the-art facilities at St George’s Park (facilities that are regularly used by the England national team). 

Brighton’s opponents enjoyed an impressive result midweek, becoming the first side to defeat Sunderland at the Stadium Of Light this season. But it’s fair to say slots charges are still struggling to reach the heights they hit last campaign. Despite Florian Wirtz starting to show slight signs of life and Hugo Ekitike looking to be a very shrewd summer purchase, Liverpool are still spluttering with the form of club legend Mo Salah being a genuine concern for the Kopites.

Given the fact Liverpool are still in the Champions League as well as deeply entrenched in the fight for a top 5 place in the league, it’s hard to predict just how seriously Slot will take Saturday's game. On the one hand, the FA Cup provides a tangible route to salvage an otherwise disappointing season, but on the other, games have come so frequently that regular starters may well welcome a rest. 

Upon speaking to the media Friday morning, Liverpool boss Arne Slot was very coy as he hinted that he had still not fully decided what to do in terms of team selection. He went on to say that Brighton were a strong team, which meant he was reluctant to make wholesale changes, but he did insinuate a few regular starters could well be rested with the league taking priority. 

Hurzeler addressed the media via Zoom on Thursday morning, where he mentioned that Brighton had no new injuries to report. The young German went on to say that he hopes to welcome back versatile Dutchman Mats Wieffer back to the squad. Otherwise the players at Hurzeler’s disposal will be the same as Wednesday night. 

The Brighton boss has routinely used the cup competitions to give opportunities to fringe players, and I expect Saturday's team to be no different. I expect to see the recently recalled Matt O'Riley starting alongside Georgino and Minteh, with Jason Steele making his obligatory start in cup competitions. I predict Gross, Mitoma and Ferdi will be rested, with Dunk keeping his place in the centre of the defence. Despite Hurzeler saying Van Hecke was fit and available, I doubt the Dutchman will be risked from the start.

Predicted Line Ups

I expect Hurzeler to shuffle his pack

Liverpool have a very strong squad but I still expect to see Slot stick with his most trusted players

Prediction

I hate to point out the obvious, but putting it politely, Brighton's record at Anfield is poor. In fact, Brighton have not won at Anfield since triumphing 2-1 back in 1983. To give the travelling seagull fans some hope, however, I will add that victory 43 years ago was in the FA Cup. Perhaps an omen for the Seasiders? Sadly, I think not. I predict a tough day at the office with Liverpool proving to be too strong.

Liverpool 2-0 Brighton

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